Rocky's Little Rockstar
by little-miss-bookworm94
Summary: Rocky Lynch has been keeping a secret from everyone. Those random weekend trips with friends? He's really going to visit his three year old daughter. But what happens when the girl's mother is killed and he is thrust into single parenthood? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Okay so I read a story the other day that was similar to this and it inspired me to write my own. So anyway, hope you like it and don't forget to review and check out my other stories!

Rocky POV

We had just gotten back to the tour bus after a big show in New York. I was sitting on the couch, waiting on that phone call I get every night. To pass the time, I started scrolling through the recent group of pictures Alyssa had just sent me from the birthday party earlier today. I couldn't believe my little Harmony Reagan was three years old today. It killed me that I couldn't be there to celebrate with her but it had to be this way for now.

I had met Alyssa a few years ago at a concert. We hit it off right away and got together a couple weeks later. Our relationship moved pretty fast and we were about six months in when we found out she was pregnant. We kept it a secret, which was surprisingly easy since she lived a couple hours away. We ended up breaking up when Harmony was just three months old, the stress of being sixteen and trying to secretly raise a baby being too much for us, but I stayed as involved as I could. I visit as much as I can and call everyday, and of course Alyssa sends me pictures and videos all the time. We did our best to stay on good terms, for Harmony's sake, but it was still difficult because we butted heads a lot.

I'm smiling at a picture of Harmony opening the leapfrog keyboard I had sent her for her birthday when I feel someone sit beside me.

"What ya smiling at?" Riker asks.

I quickly put the phone down, "Nothing."

He raises his eyebrow, "A little jumpy, are we? What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything." I say.

"Then why'd you put the phone away so quickly?" He asks.

I'm trying to come up with an excuse when my phone rings.

"I have to take this." Relieved, I stand and go out the door.

I answer the facetime call and am greeted with Harmony's grinning face.

"Hi daddy!" She greets.

"Hey baby girl! Happy birthday! Did you have fun at your party?" I reply.

She nods, "Yep! I got lotsa new toys!"

"Really? What one is your favorite?"

"Uhm…my keyboard!" She grins.

I smile, "Aw, well good, I'm glad you liked it."

"Did you sing tonight?" She asks.

I nod, "Yep. To a huge crowd."

"Did you sing my song?"

"Of course I did." Her favorite song was 'Fallin for You' and she always asked me to sing it, calling it her song.

She yawns, "Good." She's quiet for a second before she asks, "When are you gonna visit me?"

"Really soon, sweetheart. I promise." It always breaks my heart to hear her ask this.

She grins and is about to say something else when another yawn overtakes her.

"I think it's about time for bed." I hear Alyssa say in the background.

"But mommy…!" Harmony whines.

"No buts. Tell daddy goodnight." Alyssa says.

Harmony sighs, "Night night, daddy. Love you."

"Night, baby girl. I love you too." I smile.

Harmony disappears and Alyssa's face replaces her's.

"Hey, Liss." I greet.

She scowls, "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" I ask.

"You tell her you're going to come see her 'really soon' and get her hopes up when you know it could be months before you visit and then I'm stuck bailing you out when she keeps asking when her daddy is coming."

I feel anger bubbling up inside me, "That's a lie and you know it! I have never once told her I was going to see her unless I was absolutely sure I was! And I have never made her wait months, I see her as often as I possibly can!"

"Yeah, every couple months when it's convenient for you!" She snaps.

"It has nothing to with convenience. It's you won't let me see her. I have to wait for you to say it's okay because you want to make me look like the bad guy by making her wait." I retort.

"I let you see her whenever you want, Rocky. Don't you dare say I don't!"

"Bullshit! I wanted to come spend the weekend with her before I left for tour and you kept saying no until the last minute so I only had half a day with her! And on top of that, you won't even let me have her by myself!" I don't mean to yell but it really sets me off when she tries to make look like a bad father.

"Whatever. I'm not arguing with you anymore about this. You know where she is if you want to see her."

"Believe me, I'm going to come see her in a couple weeks when we get back and then I'm taking you to court for joint custody."

She rolls her eyes, "Good luck with that. You'd have to tell your family before that would happen."

I glare, "I'm going to tell them, you can bet on that."

"We'll see." She hangs up and 'call ended' flashes across the screen

I lock the screen and angrily put the phone in my pocket, walking back to the bus. I let out a sigh of relief when I see Riker isn't there waiting on me. I hear laughter coming from the back of the bus and I assume that is where he is. I lay down on the couch, closing my eyes. I love being on tour but I would give anything to be back in California with Harmony right now.

I liked to think Harmony looked a lot like me. She had long straight hair that was the same shade of blonde that mine was when I was little. She also had a lot of my facial features but she had the same heart shaped face and bright green eyes as Alyssa. She was absolutely beautiful. When she was a baby I would hold her and stare at her, amazed by how beautiful she was and how much I loved her.

Originally, I was going to tell everyone as soon as I found out Alyssa was pregnant but R5 was just starting to get big and Alyssa didn't want her in the spotlight so she told me to keep it secret. I thought I would still be able to my family but she was afraid one of them would slip and it would get out so I kept it a secret from them too. It had worked okay for a while but now Harmony was getting older and asking about her family and wanting to meet them. I was going to tell them about her. I had too if I wanted to see her more. I just didn't know when or how.

After a while, I decide to go to bed even though the others are still up. I am just about asleep when I feel a hand on my forehead. I open my eyes to see my mom standing over me.

"Mom? What are you doing?" I ask sleepily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just thought maybe you weren't feeling well since you went to bed so early." She answers.

"I'm fine. Just tired." I say.

"You sure?" She looks concerned.

I nod, "Yeah."

"Okay. Goodnight then." She leans down and kisses my head.

"Night." I lay my head back down, closing my eyes as I hear the door slide shut.

The next morning I am the last to wake up. I lay in bed for a while, listening the rumble of the bus's engine, before finally getting up and getting dressed. I make my way to the front of the bus where everyone else already is. Rydel is on her phone, Ross is playing guitar, Riker, Ratliff and my parents are sitting at the table talking. I grab an apple from the fridge and take a seat next to Rydel on the couch.

"Morning." She says, not looking up from her phone.

"Morning." I reply, taking a bite of my apple.

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful and boring, just sitting on the bus, waiting to get to our next stop. Usually I can at least look forward to the pictures Alyssa sends me to keep me occupied but after our fight last night I'm sure there won't be any today. I'll probably be lucky if she lets me talk to Harmony tonight. Keeping Harmony away from me was her favorite way to get back at me after a fight. It made me so mad that she used her like that, like she was a weapon. That was why I had decided to file for joint custody, though, so she couldn't take her away whenever she wanted.

I had never thought much about the custody arrangement because when we broke up, Alyssa had promised I could still see Harmony whenever I wanted. She had been pretty good about it in the beginning, but shortly after Harmony's first birthday it went down hill. Alyssa had gotten a new boyfriend and we didn't exactly like each other. I could usually ignore him but I drew the line when I heard Harmony call him 'daddy', apparently upon his request. I had ended up punching him, leading to one of the biggest fights Alyssa and I have ever had. Out of spite, and at his suggestion I was sure, she started keeping Harmony away more and more. She was still with the guy, but he made himself scarce when I was around. Which was probably in his best interest.

That night, I sit in the back of the bus looking around at my brothers, sister and best friend. I know I need to tell them and soon. I stare at a picture of Harmony on my phone. I have to do it for her. She deserves to know her uncles and aunt and grandparents. Plus, I'm going to need all the support I can get if I want to get joint custody of her. I take a deep breath and look up at them.

"Hey, guys?" I say.

They all turn to look at me.

"I need to talk to you about something." I feel more nervous now that they are all looking at me.

"Okay…about what?" Rydel raises her eyebrows.

"Hang on." I stand up and go peek into the front of the bus, "Mom, dad, can you come here for a second?"

They look at me questioningly but follow me to the back.

"Are you coming out of the closet or something?" Ross asks, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Riker.

I roll my eyes, "No, I am not gay."

"Then what's the deal?" Ratliff questions.

I take a deep breath, "I've been…hiding something from you guys for a while now and…I think it's past time you know about it…"

Mom puts her hand on my knee, "Go on, honey. You can tell us."

I stare at the floor, "I…I have a daughter."

I look up to see they are all staring at me, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"A-A what?" Mom stutters.

"A daughter. She just turned three yesterday. Her name is Harmony Reagan." I say, handing her my phone so she can see a picture.

"Oh my goodness…" Mom covers her mouth, handing the phone to my dad.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dad asks.

"I don't know. I wanted to but Alyssa, her mother, wanted to keep her a secret because she didn't want her in the spotlight with me. She was afraid one of you guys would slip up and tell everyone." I shake my head, "I should have never listened to her."

"You're damn right you shouldn't have." Riker says, leaning over to take the phone from dad, "Wow…"

Ross leans over Riker's shoulder to see as well, "Well, there's no denying she's yours."

Ryland reaches over and takes the phone next, "Yeah, she looks just like you."

"I'm guessing you're in contact with her and the mother?" Dad asks.

I nod, "Yeah. I talk to her every night and I go see her as often as I can."

"She's so adorable, Rocky." Rydel says, looking at the picture.

Ratliff leans over to see, "Wow…"

"I can't believe one of my babies has a baby…" Mom shakes her head in disbelief, "And I didn't know about it for three years…"

"I'm sorry mom. I really wish I had told you guys as soon as I found out Alyssa was pregnant, like I wanted to."

Mom squeezes my shoulder, "It's okay, dear. I'm just a little shocked is all."

I give her a small smile before turning back to everyone else, "There's something else I want to tell you guys too…"

"What, she's not your only one?" Ross asks before yelping as Riker elbows him again.

"Alyssa barely lets me see her anymore so…when we get back from tour…I want to file for joint custody." I manage to say.

"Don't you already have partial custody or visitation or anything?" Dad questions.

I shake my head, "No. When we broke up, Alyssa told me I could see Harmony whenever I wanted but then she got a new boyfriend and started keeping her away every time she got mad at me. Which is pretty often."

"You definitely need to get something on paper then." Dad says.

"So you guys would be okay with having her around then?" I ask.

"Of course we would." Riker says.

"Yeah, she's our niece, of course we want her around." Rydel adds.

Mom nods, "I want to know my granddaughter."

"Plus we've got three years of stuff we haven't taught her yet to make up for." Ross grins, earning a high five from Ryland.

"Yeah she could learn a lot from us." Ratliff nods.

I smile, "I'm glad you guys are okay with this." I turn my phone over in my hand, "So…uhm…do you want to talk to her?"

They all nod so I dial Alyssa's number, hoping she'll answer. They all pile around me, anxiously waiting for her to answer. She finally does on the last ring and I am greeted by Harmony's smiling face.

"Daddy!" She squeals.

"Hey baby girl, what are you doing?" I say.

"Coloring a picture." She holds up a green crayon.

"That sounds fun. So, uh, I've got some people here who want to say hi to you. Is that okay?" I ask.

She nods, "Yeah!"

Mom leans over first, smiling "Hi sweetheart, I'm your grandma Stormie."

Harmony's grin gets bigger, "You're my grandma?"

Mom nods, "I sure am."

Dad leans over, "And I'm your grandpa Mark."

Harmony waves, "Hi!"

Dad waves back, "Hi, honey."

Rydel leans over my shoulder, "Hey cutie, I'm your aunt Rydel."

Harmony giggles, "Hello!"

I pass the phone to Riker, who waves at her.

"Hey, I'm your uncle Riker." He greets.

Ross sticks his head in front of Riker's face, "And I'm your uncle Ross. I'll be your favorite trust me." He winks.

Harmony giggles again and waves at them as the phone is passed to Ryland.

He waves at her, "Hey, I'm your uncle Ryland."

Ratliff takes the phone next, "And I'm uncle Ellington. Or uncle Ratliff. Whichever you prefer. I'm actually going to be your favorite."

I roll my eyes and take the phone back, "There ya go. I told you one day you were going to meet your uncles and aunt and grandparents."

"Can I see them when you come visit me?" She asks.

"I hope so." I answer.

She grins, "Yay!"

I smile, "Maybe you'll even get to come stay with me for a couple days when I get back."

Her eyes go wide, "Really?"

"Maybe. If mommy lets you." I hope that is the last time I have to say that.

She grins even bigger, "I can't wait! When will you be back?"

"Just a couple more weeks, sweetheart." I reply.

She sighs, "But that's so long daddy."

"It'll fly by, you'll see." I say.

"I miss you." Her bottom lip pokes out and it feels like my heart is breaking.

I feel tears in my eyes, "I know baby. I miss you too. So much."

"I love you, daddy." She smiles.

"I love you too, Harmony. More than you'll ever know." I smile back, trying to keep my voice from cracking, "I gotta go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

She nods, disappointment in her eyes, "Okay."

I hold the phone out so everyone is visible to her, "Blow everyone a kiss and tell them goodnight."

She blows a kiss, "Night night!"

They all blow her a kiss back and there is a chorus of 'goodnight'.

I bring the phone back down so it is just me and her again, "Night baby girl. Sleep tight. I love you."

She blows me a kiss, "Night daddy. Love you too."

I blow her a kiss back before hanging up, not wanting to wait around for Alyssa to take the phone. I don't really want to hear what she has to say because I am sure she's livid after what I just did. I don't care if she is though because it is such a relief to have my family know. Once I get the custody situation sorted out, everything will hopefully be the way it should have been from the beginning.

That night I am more relaxed than I have been in a while. I stay up for a while, passing around pictures of Harmony and answering everyone's questions about her. My mom has already fallen in love with her, and makes me send her several pictures and videos off my phone. By the time I go to bed it is really late and it feels like everything is okay. I didn't know I would soon realize that feeling would be short lived.

The next evening we are back stage getting ready for a show when my phone rings. I still have about twenty minutes before we go on so I decide to answer it. I notice it's a strange number but don't really think anything of it.

"Hello?" I answer, walking off to corner of the room.

"Hello, I'm looking for Rocky Lynch?" A female voice says.

"Uh, speaking. Who is this?" I ask.

"My name is Casey, I'm from social services. I'm calling regarding your daughter, Harmony Lynch." She replies.

My grip tightens on the phone, "Is she okay?"

"Mr. Lynch, I'm really sorry, I hate to have to be the one to do this but, Harmony's mother passed away in a car accident this evening." She explains.

"W-what?" I stutter.

"I'm really sorry, sir." She replies.

"Where's Harmony? Was she with her? Is she okay?" I don't know what I'll do f something happened to Harmony.

"Harmony is fine. She was not in the car at the time. She's with her grandparents now." She explains.

I let out a breath, "Thank God…"

"Mr. Lynch, since you are Harmony's father, full custody is to be granted to you as the sole parent." She says.

"Full custody?" I respond.

"Yes. However, if you do not want it, the maternal grandparents have informed me that they are more than willing to take guardianship of Harmony."

"No, they won't. Harmony is my daughter, custody goes to me."

"Okay. Well, all I need is your signature on a few things and then you can take her home."

"Okay, uh, I'm out of town right now but I'll be on the next flight back."

"Well, just give me a call at this number when you get in, then."

"Okay."

"I'll be expecting you soon then. Again, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Uh, thanks." I hang up the phone then, running a hand through my hair.

This was a lot to process. I had moved on from Alyssa a long time ago, but it still hurt a little that she was gone. I think I hurt more for Harmony's sake. I needed to get to her as soon as possible but what about the show? And the rest of the tour? Could I bring a three year old on tour? I would have to, because there was no way she was going to be raised by Alyssa's parents. I look across the room at the rest of the band. Surely they would be okay without me for one show?

I slowly walk back across the room.

"Rocky? You okay?" Riker asks.

I shake my head, "I don't know."

"Who was on the phone?" Rydel looks at me, concerned.

"It was a social worker. Alyssa…she died in a car accident this evening."

I hear gasps of shock all around me.

"I have to go get Harmony. Like, now. Is there anyway you can do the show without me tonight?" I ask.

"Dude, don't even worry about that. Go get Harmony, we'll take care of the show." Riker squeezes my shoulder.

"Are you sure?" I look from him to the rest of the band.

"Yeah, we can manage with only one guitar." Ross says.

I nod, "Okay. I'll call you guys when I get there."

Rydel gives me a hug before I leave. I stop to tell mom and dad what happened and mom insists on going with me. I don't really object, it'll be nice to have her there. I take a deep breath as we leave the venue. I don't know how I'm going to explain all this to a Harmony in a way that she'll understand. On top of that, I have to figure something out for the tour. I can't believe just last night everything was perfectly fine and now…this.

**Wow a lot happened already! Will Rocky be able to handle being in a band and raising a daughter full time? Will be able to help Harmony understand everything that has happened? Stay tuned to find out!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2! So, while I love the follows and favorites, I'd really like to see some reviews too, guys. They'd be much appreciated. Anyways, hope you like this chapter.

Rocky POV

We were able to catch a redeye flight so I'm sitting impatiently on the plane. It's a long way from Connecticut to California and the plane has just barely taken off. I can't help tapping my foot, willing this flight to go by faster. Then again, maybe it's a good thing I have all this time, so I can think about how I'm going to explain all this to Harmony. She's going to be heartbroken. Alyssa may have been hard to co-parent with but I never doubted how much she loved Harmony or that she was a good mother to her. This wasn't going to be easy.

"So what's she like?"

I jump at the sound of my mom's voice and turn to look at her, "Huh?"

"What's Harmony like?" She asks again.

I frown, "What do you mean?"

"What's her favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite movie? Favorite book? Does she have a special stuffed animal?" She replies.

"Oh, uh, well, her favorite color is orange and her favorite food is spaghetti. Her favorite movie is 'Aristocats' and her favorite book is 'Green Eggs and Ham'. And she has this stuffed bunny that I gave her the day she was born, she never goes anywhere without it." I smile.

Mom smiles back, "That's sweet."

I nod, "So what else do you want to know?"

"What's her favorite song? Favorite animal?"

"Her favorite song is 'Fallin for You' and her favorite animal is giraffes. Anything else?"

She thinks for a moment, "Hm…what does she like to do?"

"She likes to color and play dress-up but I think her favorite is playing outside, especially on swings. Oh, and she loves music and dancing." I answer.

"Of course she loves music. It's in her blood." Mom responds.

I laugh, "Yeah, that's true."

"Has she taken any dances classes?" She asks.

I shake my head, "Not yet. She really wants to but she's not quite old enough yet. Not for the ones we found anyway." I smile a little, "Maybe Ross and Rydel can teach her a thing or two."

She smiles, "I'm sure they'd love that."

We're both quiet for a moment before I finally say something that's been bothering me.

"What am I going to do with her during tour?" I ask quietly.

Mom looks at me, "Well, I assume you're going to take her with you. You can't leave her that long, especially not now, when she needs you most."

"I know but…what about all the traveling? She's only three; won't it be hard on her? Especially when she's stuck on a tour bus for long periods of time?" I reply.

"It might be a little hard in the beginning but I think she'll be okay. It might even be good for her to get away for a while. You'll just have to make sure she has plenty to keep her entertained. And it's not like you won't have plenty of help." She responds.

"Do you think the others will be okay with having her there?"

"I'm sure they will."

I sigh, "I hope so."

After while, I am able to lay my head back and get a little sleep. I wake up to see mom is asleep along with almost everyone else on the plane. We're getting close to California by now but I know it'll still be a while before we land. I think about trying to video chat Harmony but when I check the time I realize she is probably in bed. I end up scrolling through my Twitter and am hit with a flood of 'where's Rocky?' tweets. I had kind of expected it to be like that so I post 'Sorry I couldn't make it tonight. Personal emergency. Will explain later.' before logging off. I know that there is no way to keep Harmony out of the spotlight now. I'm not exactly happy about it, since that was the whole point of keeping her a secret, but all I can do now is make the best of it.

We finally make it to California and, even though it is late, I call the social worker as soon as we leave the airport. It's one of the times I'm actually glad for the different time zones, otherwise I would have had to wait till morning.

"Hello?" A tired voice answers on the third ring.

"Hey, Casey? It's Rocky Lynch. I was just calling to tell you I just arrived in Bakersfield to pick up Harmony." I say.

"Oh, okay. Great. Uh, how bout I meet you at her home?" Casey replies.

"Sure, that's fine. I can be there in about thirty minutes." I respond.

"Okay. See you then."

I hear a click and call ended flashes on the screen. I slide the phone in my pocket and turn to see my mom is on her phone as well, talking to dad probably. After a few minutes, she hangs up and I follow her into the taxi that has just pulled up. I give him the address and we ride in silence the whole way there. As soon as we arrive, I am out of the car, barely hearing mom tell the driver to wait. Casey's car is already in the driveway and she steps out when she sees us, a yellow folder in her hand.

"Rocky, I assume?" She extends her hand when I reach her.

I shake her hand, nodding, "Yes." I gesture to my mom, "This is my mother, Stormie."

She shakes my mom's hand next, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I only wish it was on better circumstances."

"Me too." I respond.

She opens the folder in her hand, taking out a few papers, "So, I just need your signature in a few places, stating that you are accepting sole custody of Harmony, but first, I was unable to find a record of any visitation or shared custody agreement?"

"Yeah, uh, since Alyssa and I weren't married when we had Harmony, when we broke up she told me I could see her whenever I wanted so we didn't have to go to court over it." I explain.

She nods, "Okay, well, since there was no prior arrangement, we will have to perform a home inspection before she is allowed to live with you."

"Okay, sure, that's fine. Can I still take her tonight? My house is about two hours away so we won't be there tonight anyway." I ask.

"Yes. Someone will be at your home tomorrow for the inspection. I do still have one more concern, though." She says.

"What is it?" I frown.

"I have noticed you are in the middle of a tour with your band right now and I need to know what your plans are for Harmony during that." She replies.

"She's coming with me, of course. We'll only be traveling for a couple more weeks and then we come back for a while so she won't be gone for months or anything and I'll have plenty of help and she'll be in hotels a lot, not just on the bus." I answer.

She sighs, "Well, it's not exactly ideal, but it doesn't seem like she'll be unsafe so I guess I can okay that."

I let out a breath, "Great."

She holds out the papers and a pen, "I just need your signature and we'll be done here."

I nod and take them, signing where she tells me, before handing them back, "So, I can go pick her up at her grandparent's now?"

"She's not there, actually. That's why I wanted to meet here, since it would be easier." She answers, sticking the papers back in the folder.

"Wait, if she's here, who has her?"

"Uh, I believe Matthew picked her up." She says.

I clench my fists, "He has her?"

She looks nervous, "I'm sorry…I didn't realize that was a problem."

I don't say anything, just head for the door, not bothering to knock and going right in. He's sitting there on the couch in front of the TV, Harmony curled up next to him. I'm not surprised she's awake; she's always been a night owl. They both look up when the door opens.

"Daddy!" Harmony exclaims, jumping up and running to me.

I scoop her up in my arms, hugging her tight, "Hey, baby girl."

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

I look over at Matthew.

"She doesn't know." He says.

I shift her around so I can look directly at her, "Listen, sweetheart, some stuff has happened and you have to come with me now, okay?"

"Okay. But what about mommy?" She replies.

I sigh, "This isn't easy to tell you but…mommy was in an accident and…she passed away."

She looks at me, confused, "Mommy is…gone?"

I nod, "I'm really sorry, baby."

She starts to tear up, "But…who's going to take care of me?"

I brush away her tears, "You're going to come live with me and I'm going to take care of you."

She doesn't say anything else, just hides her face in my shoulder.

"Rocky?"

I turn to see my mom standing in the doorway.

"Oh, poor thing." She says when she sees Harmony.

"Yeah, she's pretty upset. Do you think you could go down the hall to her room and get some of her stuff together?" I ask, gently rubbing Harmony's back.

She nods and disappears down the hall.

Matthew walks up then, "So, uh, I know we've never been on the best of terms but…I really care about Harmony and it would mean a lot if I could keep in touch with her. I could call every once in a while, maybe visit her on holidays, y'know?"

I think about it for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I think she'd like that."

He gives me a sad smile, "Thanks."

Mom returns a couple minutes later with Harmony's bag.

"Hey, you want to tell Matthew bye?" I ask softly.

Harmony nods and I let him take her from my arms.

He hugs her, "Bye, squirt."

She hugs back, "Bye-bye."

He kisses her head before handing her back.

"I'll come back in the morning for the rest of her stuff." I say as I take her.

He nods, "Okay."

I follow mom to the door, but stop just before walking out.

"I'm really sorry about Alyssa." I say.

"Me too." He replies.

I follow mom back out to the cab, noticing Casey has already left. Harmony clings to me the whole way to the hotel. I can tell mom wants to talk to her but she doesn't bother her. We get to the hotel and grab the few things we brought before tossing some cash to the driver and going inside to get a room.

I sit Harmony down on one of the beds and drop our bags on the floor next to it.

"You ready for bed, baby girl?" I ask, kneeling down in front of her.

She shrugs, not saying anything. I sigh and kiss her forehead before standing and grabbing my pajamas. I give her a long look before going to the bathroom. I'm surprised to find Harmony curled up in mom's lap when I come back out. Mom's slowly rocking her, and humming softly. I smile as I stick my dirty clothes in my bag before sitting next to them.

Harmony lifts her head to look at me before crawling out of mom's lap and into mine. I hug her close and kiss her head.

"I love you so much, baby girl." I say softly.

"I love you too, daddy." She replies.

She finally falls asleep a little while later and I tuck her into bed before lying down beside her.

"You think she'll ever be okay again?" I ask mom softly, so as not to wake Harmony.

Mom sits up in her bed, "Well, this is all a lot to process, especially at her age. But she'll be okay, eventually. Just give her time."

"I hope so." I sigh, "I hate to do it but I think I'm going to have to ask the guys if we can push the next show back a few days. There's still so much I need to take care of here plus I want her to be able to go to the funeral."

"I'm sure they'll understand." She responds.

I stay awake for a while, just staring at the ceiling, but finally fall asleep sometime later. The next morning, I decide to leave Harmony with mom while I go to get her stuff. I end up calling and renting a car, figuring it'll be easier than messing with cabs until I get home later. On my way to the Alyssa's, I call Riker.

He answers right away, "Bout time you call."

"Sorry, it's been a little crazy." I reply.

"How is she?" He asks.

"She's upset and I think a little confused. I'm not sure she totally understands everything." I say.

"Well, she's only three. That's to be expected." He responds.

"Yeah, I guess." I reply.

"So, when are you going to be heading back?"

"I'm not sure yet. That's actually part of why I called. I'm going to need a few days to get things sorted out plus I want Harmony to be able to go to the funeral. Is there any way we can push the next show back just a day or two?"

I can hear muffled talking in the background and I assume he's covered the phone to talk it over with everybody else. He comes back on the line a few minutes later.

"Okay, I think we can push it back about two days, but no more or it's going to mess with the rest of the schedule." He says.

"Okay, I think I can work with that." I reply.

"Good. I know Harmony needs you right now but so do we." He responds.

"I know." I pull into the driveway, "I've got to go, I'll talk to you later."

"Later." He says before hanging up.

I drop the phone on the passenger seat and get out, going to the door. I knock and Matthew answers a moment later. I notice he looks pretty rough, but I'm not really surprised.

"Morning." I greet.

"Morning." He replies, stepping aside so I can go in.

I notice there is a stack of boxes inside the door.

"I couldn't sleep last night so I went ahead and started packing her stuff." He explains.

"Is this all of it?" I ask.

"Pretty much. Her bed, dresser and toy box are still in there but they're all empty. I didn't know if you'd want them or not." He answers.

"She'll probably want her toy box but the dresser and bed aren't a big deal. She's about ready for a bigger bed anyway and we have dressers at home she can use." I respond.

He nods, "Okay."

Matthew helps me carry the boxes out and then I grab the little toy box out of her room. I close the trunk and turn to look at him.

"Thanks for the help." I say.

"No problem." He rubs the back of his neck, "I, uh, talked to Alyssa's parents right before you got here and they're making the arrangements today and plan on having the funeral the day after tomorrow. They want to get it over with quick."

I nod, "Okay. I guess I'll see you then?"

"Yeah, see ya." He says.

He watches as I get in the car and back out of the driveway. I get back to the hotel to find Harmony up and dresses in a pink frilly dress, sitting on mom's lap while she does her hair.

"Morning, sunshine." I smile as I walk into the room.

She smiles back, "Morning, daddy. Grandma is doing my hair like a ballerina!"

It's a relief to see her smile. I notice mom smiling as well when she hears her call her grandma. I start gathering up our stuff so I can take it down to the car.

"Are you guys about ready? We have a long drive ahead of us." I ask.

Mom slides one more pin into the bun on Harmony's head, "I think so. Have you called Casey yet to see when they'll be at the house?"

"Not yet. I was waiting till we were on the road so I'd have a better time estimate." I reply.

Mom nods, "Okay. Well, you better call now then."

Harmony slides off her lap and runs to the mirror to inspect her hair. I laugh a little at her before grabbing our bags and carrying them down to the car. Mom and Harmony meet me down there a moment later. Mom gets in the front while I scoop Harmony up and strap her into the car seat before getting in myself.

Mom ends up calling Casey for me once we get on the road. It's a quick phone call and then she is talking to dad.

"Can I talk to grandpa?" Harmony asks from the backseat.

Mom laughs, "Sure, honey. I'm putting Harmony on, Mark."

She hands the phone back to Harmony and we laugh at her chattering away to him for a few minutes before she finally hands it back. Mom talks for a few more minutes before hanging up.

"I can't believe how quickly she's taken to calling you guys grandma and grandpa." I say.

"I know but I'm certainly not complaining. It's so sweet." Mom replies.

"Yeah, it is. I don't think she really understands what's going on, though." I say quietly.

"Probably not but maybe that's best for now." Mom shrugs.

"Maybe."

"Are you talking about me?" Harmony asks.

I laugh, "No, we're not talking about you, little eavesdropper."

"I'm not pea dropper." She huffs.

I can't help laughing again, "Not pea dropper, _eaves_dropper. It means someone who listens to other people talking."

"Oh. Well, I'm not that either." She retorts.

"Of course you're not, sweetie." Mom says, trying not to laugh.

Harmony talks almost the entire car ride, only really being quiet after we go through a drive-thru for breakfast, but she's back to chattering as soon as she's done eating. I'm not surprised though, she's been a chatterbox since she was born. We finally make it home and there is already a car in the driveway waiting for us. An older guy climbs out as we pull in. I get a Harmony out of her seat and carry her up the driveway, mom following.

The man extends his hand, "Hello, I'm Jacob. You must be Rocky."

I nod, shaking his hand.

He smiles at Harmony, "And who's this little cutie?"

Harmony grins, "I'm Harmony Reagan Lynch."

He shakes her hand, "Well, it's nice to meet you Miss. Lynch."

She giggles, "You too."

Mom shakes his hand next, "I'm Stormie, Rocky's mom."

"Nice to meet you." He says then turns to me, "So, are you ready?"

I nod, "Yeah."

He follows into the house and we show him all around. I listen as mom explains will Harmony will sleep, something I hadn't exactly thought about yet. He seems pleased and gives us the okay for her to live here before leaving. We spend most of the afternoon carrying Harmony's stuff in and putting some of it away and making room for her bed next to mine in dad's office. After that, it is re-packing clothes and toys for her to take on tour. By evening, we are all tired and starving. We take Harmony out for pizza and then come back and watch cartoons until bedtime.

The next day, I take Harmony to get her passport so she can go out of the country with me and then we take her bed shopping, which proves to be a rather difficult task. She's extremely picky so it takes us half a day and five furniture stores before we find something she likes. She ends up with a pink twin-size bed with ballet slippers engraved on the headboard. Mom surprises her with a new ballerina-themed bedding set, which she loved. We have the bed and mattress delivered but I, of course, get the task of assembling it all while mom and Harmony color in the living room. With two beds this room is a tight squeeze but it'll work.

The next day comes too fast. I take my time getting Harmony up and ready. I try to do her hair but she's not happy with it so she takes off to find mom to fix it while I get ready. In the back of my mind I think she is probably taking to mom so much because she is looking for a mother figure now that her's is gone. It's sad in a way, but I'm just glad she seems to be okay.

I finish getting ready then load up the car. We have to leave for the airport right after the funeral so there won't be time to come back for anything. We pile into the car and grab a quick breakfast through the drive-thru before starting the long drive to the funeral home followed by the cemetery. I hang around for a little while after, letting Harmony visit with Alyssa's parents, before we have to leave. As we drive to the airport, I notice Harmony is being very quiet. I don't ask her about it though, figuring she's probably upset after the funeral.

"Listen, Harmony, when we get inside, you need to stay with me and grandma and hold one of our hands the entire time, okay?" I tell her as we are getting out of the car.

She nods, "Okay."

I watch as she grabs mom's hand and we walk inside. Mom takes her over to sit down while I check our luggage. I go back over to find mom on her phone, talking to dad again I assume, and Harmony lying in the floor at her feet, coloring.

"Harmony, don't lay in the floor. It's filthy." I say.

She huffs but gets up and picks up her stuff before climbing into my lap. She stays there until it is time to put her stuff back in her bag and get on the plane. I strap her into the seat between me and mom and I notice she has a death grip on her stuffed bunny.

"Scared?" I ask.

She nods.

I take her hand, "Don't worry, I've done this tons of times, there's nothing to be scared of."

"What if we crash?" She whimpers.

"We won't crash. Just wait, once we get in the air, you'll love it." I assure her.

She doesn't look convinced but doesn't say anything. As soon as we take off, she closes her eyes tight, squeezing my hand and her cat. She calms down when we get in the air, like I predicted. She even climbs over into mom's lap so she can look out the window. I smile and take a picture of them. I stare at it for a moment before hitting the button to post it to Twitter with the caption 'someone special is joining the tour'. I wonder if anyone will make the connection. We land in Massachusetts a few hours later and she gets nervous again until the plane is on the ground.

We gather our bags and load them into a taxi that mom gets into as well so she can go on to the hotel. Harmony and I get in a different taxi to head straight to the venue to meet up with the band.

"Do you think they'll like me?" Harmony asks quietly.

I put my arm around her, "They're going to love you."

She looks up at me, "Really?"

I nod, "Yep."

She smiles, "Good." She goes back to playing with her bunny for a minute before looking up at me again, "When we get back to your house, can we go to the beach?"

I smile, "Of course we can. And it's our house, not just mine."

She nods and goes back to playing. We make it to the venue a few minutes later. I pay the driver and scoop Harmony up, carrying her inside. The band is just getting ready to do sound check when I walk in.

"Finally!" Ross says when he sees me.

I roll my eyes as I put Harmony down. She looks around then wraps both arms around my leg, hiding her face.

"So this is the little cutie we've been hearing so much about." Riker says as we walks up.

Harmony peeks at him but then quickly hides her face again.

Riker kneels down next to her, "Ah, a shy one. Well, you know what happens to shy people around here, don't you?"

She shakes her head, still not looking at him.

"They get…the tickle monster!" He starts tickling her, causing her to giggle like crazy.

"St-stop!" She squeals.

He stops, smiling.

She smiles back, "You're my uncle Riker, right?"

He nods, "Sure am."

"Good. I like you." She says.

He laughs, "Well, I'm glad. I like you too."

She grins and stretches up to kiss his cheek. He smiles and stands. He starts to say something but is interrupted.

"Oh my goodness, she is adorable!" Rydel squeals, coming over to kneel in front of Harmony, "Hi, sweetie."

"Hi." Harmony says, waving at her.

Rydel extends her arms, "Can your aunt have a hug?"

Harmony nods and runs into her arms, hugging her tight.

Rydel hugs her back, "You are just so precious."

Harmony pulls away, smiling, "I know. Daddy tells me that all the time."

Rydel laughs, "Well, he better."

Ross, Ratliff, and Ryland walk up then.

"Wow, in the pictures she looks like Rocky, but in person she could be a mini Rydel." Ratliff says.

Ross nods, " I was just thinking the same thing." He kneels in front of her, "Hey, remember me?"

Harmony nods, "You're my uncle Ross."

He smiles, "Yep. Does that mean I get a hug, too?"

She grins and throws her arms around him.

"Hey, what about me?" Ratliff asks, holding his arms out.

"Yeah, I want a hug too." Ryland says, doing the same.

Harmony hugs them both, then stands back, looking at them.

She points at Ryland, "Uncle Ryland?"

He nods, "Yep."

She turns to Ratliff, "And uncle Ratliff?"

Ratliff nods, "Or Ellington. Whichever you prefer. Just remember, I'm you're favorite." He winks.

Harmony giggles, "You're funny."

"Okay guys, we really need to get sound check done." Riker says.

"Is dad here?" I ask.

Riker shakes his head, "Not yet. He was going to wait for mom at the hotel then come later."  
>"Oh. I was going to leave Harmony with him." I reply.<p>

"I can keep an eye on her." Ryland offers.

I look at him, "You sure?"

He nods, "Yeah."

I turn to Harmony, "You okay with hanging with uncle Ryland for a little bit?"

She nods, "Yep."

"Alright then. She's got a bunch of toys and stuff in her backpack so all you should have to do is keep an eye on her, make sure she stays out of trouble." I tell him.

He nods, "No problem."

I start to follow everyone else on stage, but stop, suddenly remembering something. I grab a set of headphones and go back over to Harmony, putting them on her head.

"What are these for?" She asks.

"So the noise from the speakers doesn't hurt your little ears." I answer, "Be a good girl for uncle Ryland." I kiss the top of her head before running back to the stage.

I'm caught a little off guard when I see the small crowd in front of the stage. I had forgotten this was a VIP event so we would be doing a Q and A session. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal but I knew what they would all ask; where was I the other night and who was the little girl I posted a picture of. I knew this was coming but I'm still not sure I'm prepared for it. But I guess ready or not, I'm going to have to come clean.

**Well, there it is! Let me know what you guys think! Stay tuned to find out how the fans react to Rocky's secret! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so I'm going to start off this chapter by saying you guys are awesome! I loved your reviews and look forward to reading more of them so keep them coming please!**

Rocky POV

We breeze through sound check before taking our seats on the stools at the front of the stage. I nervously drum my fingers on my leg, not ready to explain my situation to the fans. I'm a little relieved when Riker grabs a clipboard for us to pick our questions. Maybe I can get around this after all.

The clipboard makes it's way down the line, each of us taking our turn picking a question. When it finally gets to me, however, the crowd starts going crazy, yelling out things like 'who's the little girl?' and 'Is she why you missed the last show?'. I should have known better than to think I would get off the hook that easily. I turn to look at my band mates, trying to decide what to do.

"You're going to have to tell them eventually." Riker says.

Ross and Rydel nod in agreement.

"You don't have to get into to any details, just give them the gist of it." Ratliff suggests quietly.

I nod and turn back to the crowd, taking a deep breath, "Well, I guess you guys decided my question for me. Uh, I'm not going to say much on it but, the little girl is my daughter, Harmony, and there was an emergency involving her the other night that I had to leave for."

"Okay that's it for the Q and A. We'll be back shortly with an awesome show!" Riker says quickly, interrupting the next string of questions.

We all get up, waving at the crowd, and leave the stage. I have just stepped backstage when I hear Harmony's voice.

"Daddy!" She squeals.

I smile and scoop her up as she runs up to me, "Hey, you. Were you good for uncle Ryland?"

"Yep! We played barbies!" She grins.

"Uncle Ryland played with barbies?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

"I couldn't say no, she has puppy dog eyes." Ryland defends.

I laugh, "Yeah, she is pretty hard to say 'no' to. I've found that out the hard way several times."

"Daddy says I'm spoiled." Harmony chimes in.

"Somehow I find that easy to believe." Ryland laughs, ruffling her hair.

"Hey! Don't mess up my hair!" She huffs.

"See, what'd I tell ya? Little Rydel." Ratliff says, walking up with Rydel.

Rydel smiles, "There's nothing wrong with that. Right, cutie pie?" She tickles Harmony.

"Right!" Harmony giggles, extending her arms to Rydel, who happily takes her.

"Are you excited to see the show?" Ratliff asks her.

Harmony's face lights up, "I get to see the show?"

I nod, "Yep, you sure do."

She grins, "Yay!"

We all laugh.

"What's so funny?" Riker asks, walking up with Ross close behind him.

"Nothing, just something Harmony said." I answer, noticing his hands behind his back, "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing for you." He says before turning to Harmony, "You like surprises?"

She nods, "Yeah!"

"Okay, close your eyes then." He tells her.

She does as she's told and I watch as he clasps an R5 guitar pick necklace around her neck.

"Open them." He says, stepping back.

She opens her eyes, looking down at the necklace, a huge grin on her face.

"You like it?" He asks.

She nods, "Yeah!"

"What do you say?" I ask her.

"Thank you, uncle Riker." She says, leaning forward for a hug.

He takes her from Rydel's arms, hugging her, "No problem, kiddo."

"Alright, you're officially part of the R5 family now!" Ratliff holds up his hand and she high fives him.

"Hey, she's my kid, she was already a part of it." I interject, "Right baby girl?"

Harmony nods, grinning, "Yep!"

"Well now she's got the bling to prove it." Ross says.

I roll my eyes but can't help smiling when I see how amazed Harmony is by her necklace. I have a feeling I'll never get her to take it off.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Harmony whines.

"Well c'mere then and I'll see if we can't find you a snack." I reply, reaching for her.

She clings to Riker, "No, I wanna stay here."

"Can you guys handle her for a minute?" I ask.

"Dude, there's five of us and one of her, I think we'll be fine." Ross says.

I nod and walk off to find the vending machine I saw earlier. I find it quickly and get her a bag of cheese crackers. On my way back, I run into my parents.

"Oh, hey." I say.

"What are you doing back here?" Dad asks.

I hold up the crackers, "Harmony got hungry."

Mom looks around, "Uh, where is she?"

"She wanted to stay with her aunt and uncles." I reply.

"She's taking to them pretty well, then?" Mom asks.

I nod, "Yeah. She loves them."

"Good." She smiles.

"Well c'mon then, I want to meet my granddaughter." Dad says.

I laugh a little and go back out to find Harmony, my parents following. I look around, smiling when I find her. They are all sitting in a big circle in the floor, Harmony on Rydel's lap. Ross is playing guitar and they are all singing some song that I can't quite make out while Ryland records it all.

"Wow." I laugh as I walk up.

Harmony jumps up when she sees me, running up to me and grabbing my hand as she jumps up and down.

"Daddy, I wanna learn guitar!" She grins.

I smile, "No way."

She nods, "Yes way! Can I? Pretty please?" She gives me the cutest look she can muster.

I laugh, "We'll look into it."

"Yay!" She starts jumping up and down again.

Dad steps forward then, kneeling down in front of her, "Well, who might this little ball of energy be?"

Harmony stops jumping, standing up straight, "I'm Harmony Reagan Lynch. Who are you?"

Dad laughs, "That's a pretty name. I'm your grandpa Mark. Remember, you talked to me on the phone the other night?"

She thinks for a second and then her face lights up, "Oh yeah!" She throws her arms around his neck, "Hi grandpa!"

He hugs her back, scooping her up as he stands, "Grandpa…that's going to take some getting used to."

"I think mom's already adjusted to grandma pretty well." I tell him.

"I've noticed." He laughs.

"Where's my snack?" Harmony asks.

"It's right here but you've gotta give me a kiss to get it." I say.

She leans forward, pecking me on the cheek, and then leans back, holding her hand out.

I shake my head and open the bag, stealing a cracker before I hand it to her.

"Hey! Get your own!" Harmony says, trying to hold the bag out of my reach.

"Don't be so stingy." I tell her.

She sticks her tongue out at me before going back to her snack. I shake my head but smile.

Before long it is time for the show to start. We let Harmony put her hand in when do our 'ready set rock' chant, which she loves, and I give her a quick kiss before following the rest of the band on stage. As we start to play, I glance over to the side of the stage, smiling when I see her sitting on Ryland's shoulders. My eyes keep wondering over to her during the show. Sometimes she is on Ryland's shoulders, others she is on dad's, and a few times mom is holding her, but she is grinning the entire time, and it makes the already awesome show even better.

When I come off the stage, Harmony is curled up in mom's arms, barely able to keep her eyes open.

I smile and kiss her head, "Hang in there baby girl, we'll be out of here soon."

She yawns, and cuddles closer to mom. I take off to go change my clothes and get another bottle of water. I start to walk back out and am met by Ratliff.

"Hey, there you are. We need you're help real fast." He says.

"With what?" I ask, taking drink of water.

"We're having a little trouble putting your guitar away." He explains.

I frown, "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Just come see."

I follow him; curious and a little concerned that something has happened to my guitar. However, when I see the real reason they can't put it away, I burst out laughing. Harmony has curled up in my guitar case and is fast asleep.

"How'd she end up there?" I ask, taking my phone out to get a picture.

"I put her down for a second and when I turned around that's where she was." Mom answers.

I put my phone back and lean down to gently pick Harmony up, "C'mon sweetheart."

Harmony stirs but doesn't wake up, snuggling up in my arms. I smile down at her, kissing the top of her head.

It isn't long before leave the venue and climb onto the waiting tour bus. I get Harmony awake long enough to change her into her pjs then tuck her into my bunk before going back to the front of the bus, collapsing onto the couch.

"Long day?" Riker asks.

I nod, "Very."

"At least Harmony seems to be adjusting well." Ross says.

"Yeah, that's a plus. I'm not really sure she understands the situation, though. I keep waiting for her to ask when her mommy is coming back." I reply.

"Well, this is all pretty big for a three year old to understand." Rydel points out.

"Maybe it's for the best that she doesn't understand. I mean, do you really want her all upset?" Riker adds.

"Yeah, I guess you could have a point there." I say, then looking at around at all of them, "So, are you guys sure you can handle having a three year old on tour?"

"Are you kidding? She's so sweet, we're going to love having her." Rydel says.

"You say that now. Wait till she has one of her meltdowns." I reply.

"Then we leave for you to take care of it." Ross shrugs.

I laugh, "I wouldn't blame you, she gets a little…dramatic." I smile, a memory suddenly coming to mind, "I remember this one time, a few months ago, Alyssa and I took her out for ice cream. They put rainbow sprinkles instead of chocolate on hers and she threw such a fit we were asked to leave."

They all laugh and I am prompted to tell more stories about her. I think for a moment before deciding on one of my favorite memories.

_It was Harmony's second birthday and Alyssa and I had decided to take her to the local amusement park. We had thought about Disney World, but decided she was still a little young. We had been at the park for several hours and it was extremely hot, which was making Harmony cranky. She really needed a nap and we were getting ready to head back to the car and let her lay down for a little bit, but decided to let her go on one more ride first. _

_ Even though it is a long wait, we get in line for the swings. We're behind a group of people about my age. They're probably a little big for this ride but that doesn't seem to matter to them. They are being extremely loud and obnoxious and one point one of them jumps back and almost knocks Harmony over. This makes her even grumpier and she starts pouting. This isn't what really sets her off though. A moment later, another guy joins the group, cutting in front of us._

_ "Daddy! He cut!" Harmony whines. _

_ "Shh, it's okay." I tell her._

_ She crosses her arms and stomps her foot._

_ "Harmony Reagan, that's enough." Alyssa warns her. _

_ Harmony turns around and before either of us can register what's going on, she kicks the guy hard in the leg._

_ He yelps, "Ow! Hey, control your kid, dude."_

_ "Sorry." I say._

_ "Cutter!" Harmony yells at him._

_ I quickly grab her before she can do it again and exit the line._

_ "I'm really sorry about that!" I hear Alyssa call as she follows me._

_ Once we get to the car, I start to see the humor in it, but Alyssa doesn't. She spends a good ten minutes lecturing Harmony before deciding it is best to just take her home. I protest but she insists and I decide it isn't worth arguing with her._

"Wow." Riker laughs when I finish.

"Girl's got sass." Ratliff says.

"Hey, I don't blame her for kicking him, he shouldn't have cut the line." Ryland responds.

I laugh, "She's a little firecracker sometimes."

I end up telling a couple more stories before we all call it a night. I end up sleeping on the couch when Harmony practically kicks me out of the bunk. For someone so little, she sure is a big bed hog. The couch isn't very comfortable but it's better than Harmony's knees and elbows in my side and I eventually fall asleep.

The next few days are just traveling. It doesn't bother us to be on the tour bus for long periods of time, and for a while Harmony is okay with it too, but today, the last day on the bus, she is starting to get cabin fever.

"I'm bored!" She whines.

"Go play with your toys then." I say, not looking up from my guitar.

"I want you to play with me!" She walks over, laying her head on my knee.

"I can't right now, I'm busy." I tell her. We're trying to rehearse for our show tonight.

"But daddy…" She pouts.

"In a little bit Harmony, I promise."

She sighs angrily and stomps off.

"You can take a break if you need to." Riker tells me.

I shake my head, "No, she'll be okay for a little bit."

"You sure?" He asks.

"Yeah." I nod.

We go back to rehearsing but it isn't long before Harmony is back. She plops down in the middle of the room with several dolls. I don't say anything to her, deciding she's not hurting anything so long as she's quiet. That's short-lived, however, because one of her dolls starts singing.

"Harmony, turn that off please." I tell her.

She ignores me, pressing the doll's button again.

"Don't make me take it away." I warn.

She looks at me for a second before turning around and pushing the button again.

"Last chance and then you go to time out." I give her a stern look.

She sticks her tongue out and presses the button for the third time.

I sit my guitar aside, "Okay, you were warned, now it's time out."

"No!" She yells.

"Yes." I say, walking over to her and picking her up.

She starts thrashing, "No! I don't wanna! You can't make me!"

"That's what you think." I carry her over and set her in the corner, "Now stay here until I say."

She tries to run off but I grab her before she can. She decides to throw herself on the floor, kicking and screaming.

"That's enough, Harmony Reagan."

Usually hearing her middle name stops her in her tracks, but this time she only gets worse. She stops kicking the wall and starts kicking my legs, her screams getting louder.

"Okay, it's naptime." I scoop her up, dodging her little fists, and carry her back to the bunks, sitting her down on mine, "Now you lay down here and take a nap. Hopefully you'll wake up in a better mood."

She pouts and I have to force her to lie down. I tuck the blankets around her and walk back out to the front of the bus.

"Sorry about that, she's just cranky from being cooped up so long." I tell everyone.

"That's understandable." Ross says.

"Yeah, she's a kid, she wants to run and play. I don't blame her for being cranky." Rydel adds.

I smile a little; glad they're all so understanding. We go back to rehearsing; only getting interrupted by mom coming in to see why Harmony had been screaming. We finish about the time we reach our destination. I wake Harmony up then so she can go with us to get lunch. Afterwards, we have a little extra time so I take her down the street to a little park, letting her burn off some energy. Harmony isn't the only one having fun though, we all follow her around, swinging and going down the slides. She's much calmer after that and back to acting like herself.

After the park, it is straight to the venue to start setting up. The crew lets Harmony 'help', so she is distracted for a little while. I watch her closely though, making sure she isn't in the way. When it's time for sound check, she follows us out onto the stage. I wouldn't normally let her, but since there is no VIP during this show, I tell her she can sit on the edge of the stage and watch as long as she behaves.

The show goes great and afterwards we have a meet and greet. Harmony is being extra clingy and won't let go of my leg so, against my better judgment, I let her sit on my lap while we sign autographs. The fans react pretty well to her, pretty much all of them saying 'hi' to her. She gets really excited when a few of them even ask her to sign their posters too, just to humor her.

"Hey, you're not trying to steal our fans, are you?" Riker asks her, poking her side.

She giggles, "My fans now!"

"Uh oh, guys, I think we're getting replaced." Ratliff laughs.

"We'll just have to add her to the band." Ross says, ruffling Harmony's hair as he slides a poster over to me.

"Well, her middle name does start with an 'R'…" I remind them, signing my name.

"I'd be fine with another girl in the band." Rydel says, taking the poster next.

Harmony grins, sitting up a little straighter.

"She's so cute." The girl in front of me says, waving at Harmony.

"I'm not cute, I'm adorable." Harmony responds.

This makes the girl, along with everyone else, laugh.

"Well, I don't ever have to worry about your self-esteem." I respond, laughing.

Harmony just smiles, adjusting the bow in her hair.

A few minutes later, Harmony gets bored with me and moves on down the line, first climbing onto Rydel's lap, then Riker's and finally settling on Ross's. She's happily distracted, playing with his rings and bracelets. She doesn't stay there, though, moving onto Ratliff a little bit later. She stays there till the end of the meet and greet, squealing with delight when Ratliff carries her out on his shoulders.

I shake my head, "I can't believe she is still wide awake. At this rate, she's going to be up all night."

Mom laughs, "It's all the energy around her, she's picking up on it."

"She'll probably crash as soon as you get her on the bus." Dad says.

"I hope so." I respond.

I can't get that lucky, of course. Harmony is buzzing all over the bus. Just watching her is wearing me out. One minute she is getting Rydel to do her hair, then she is playing games with Riker on his Ipad, then she's watching Ross play guitar, then, somehow, she convinces Ratliff to read her a book before grabbing her barbies and crawling into Ryland's lap, making him play with her.

"Did you feed her a bunch of sugar today or something?" Ross asks.

"No, she's just really hyper tonight. She should crash soon." I reply.

"It's better than how she was earlier." Riker says.

"Yeah, that was…something." Rydel agrees.

"Hey, I warned you she has meltdowns." I say.

"You can't really blame her for that one, though. What kid wouldn't have a meltdown being stuck on a bus that long?" Ratliff adds.

I nod, "Yeah, but I think once she gets used to it she'll be okay and won't get so grouchy about it."

"Uh, Rocky?" Ryland interrupts.

I look over and can't help but laugh a little. Harmony has finally crashed, sprawled out on Ryland's lap, still holding onto her barbies.

"Finally." I laugh, starting to stand up to take her.

"I got her." Ryland says, standing.

"You sure?" I ask.

"Yeah." He replies, taking her to the back to put her bed.

I follow a little while later, completely exhausted after the show and chasing Harmony around all day. Since Harmony joined the tour a few days ago, I have been the first one to bed-well, couch- every night. I end up sleeping in my bunk with her tonight, deciding I can't take another night on the couch. I am asleep almost instantly.

I am the first awake the next morning, but not because of Harmony. I stumble out of bed, sleepily trying to find my ringing phone before it wakes everyone else up. I finally find it lying by my shoes. I frown when I notice it is an unknown number, but answer, walking to the front of the bus. I've already missed the call, but there is a voicemail. When I listen to it, I hear something so shocking that the phone falls out of my hand, and I sink down onto the couch, head in my hands. This can't be happening.

"Rocky? Are you okay?"

I look up to see my dad standing over me. My phone must have waken him up.

I shake my head, "No."

He sits next to me, "What's wrong?"

My voice is tight as I tell him, "Alyssa's parents want custody of Harmony."

**Uh oh! Looks like trouble for Rocky and Harmony! Keep watching for the next chapter, because something even bigger is about to happen and all hell is going to break loose! Don't forget to review/follow/favorite, please and thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Loving the reviews! Keep them coming, guys! Also, hope you're ready for this chapter cuz it's going to get crazy!**

Rocky POV

Dad looks at me with a confused expression, "What do you mean they want custody?"

"They filed for custody of her. They think because of my career that I can't take care of her." I explain.

He shakes his head, "That's crazy, they can't do that."

"Apparently they can." I reply.

'Well, they're not going to get her. There's no way a judge is going to take her away from her father, especially after she just lost her mother." He says.

"He would if the father is on the road all the time." I counter, dragging my hands down my face.

"Not when she's with you the entire time you're on the road. They don't have a chance." He replies.

"But what if they do? They've hated me since the day Alyssa told them she was pregnant. If they get her, I'll never see her again." I feel tears starting to sting my eyes, "That little girl is the most important thing in the world to me. I can't lose her, dad, I just can't. It'd kill me."

He squeezes my shoulder, "You're not going to lose her. Harmony is your daughter, you've been there since day one, you love her, and she is well taken care of and very happy. No judge in his right mind would take her away."

I start to say something but am interrupted by the sound of a small yawn. I look up to see Harmony standing in the doorway, holding her stuffed bunny.

She sleepily rubs her eyes, "Daddy?"

I quickly swipe my tears away, putting on a smile, "Morning, baby girl."

"What's wrong?" She asks, walking over.

I lift her onto my lap, "Nothings wrong. Why?"

She touches my cheek, "You look sad."

"I'm just tired." I tell her.

She drops her hand, "Oh."

I smile and hug her tight, "I love you so much, Harmony."

She hugs me back, "I love you too, daddy."

I kiss her head, not wanting to let go just yet. Dad gives my shoulder another squeeze and ruffles Harmony's hair before leaving us alone.

"So, guess what." I say softly.

She looks up at me, "What?"

"We get to go on a plane today." I tell her.

Her face lights up, "Really?"

I nod, "Yep."

She grins, "Yay! I like planes!"

I put my finger to her lips, "Shh, I know you do but you need to be quiet. Everyone else is still sleeping."

"Sorry." She whispers.

I smile, "It's okay. Why don't you go get a book and I'll read to you until they get up?"

"Okay."

She hops off my lap and disappears into the other part of the bus, returning a few minutes later with a stack of books. We read for a little while until everyone starts to wake up. Once everyone is up, I send Harmony to put away her books and pick out her clothes for the day, wanting her out of the room when I tell them about the phone call.

"You can't be serious." Mom says when I tell them.

"Can they really do that?" Ross asks.

"Yeah, you're her dad, they can't just take her away from you, can they?" Riker asks next.

"I don't know, but they're trying. They've already filed the paperwork." I answer.

"So what happens now? Do you have to go to court?" Ratliff questions.

"I really don't know. I guess I'm going to have to get a lawyer too, and just go from there." I reply.

"You need to do that immediately." Mom says.

"I know. I'm going to try to do that today." I tell her.

Rydel frowns, "I don't understand why they want to take her from you. What have you ever done for them to think you're a bad father?"

"I guess because there was never really a set visitation schedule they think I've never been around and that because of the band I won't have time for her." I explain.

"But, none of that is true." She replies.

"I know, and they know that too, they're just telling that crap to their lawyer so he can build a case." I respond.

"So, if they know you're a good dad, then why do they want to take her from you?" Ryland asks.

"Yeah, it sounds more like they're just doing it because they don't like you." Ross says.

"Well, they don't, so that could be part of it." I reply.

"What's the other part?" Riker questions.

I sigh, "I really don't know. I know that can't be the only reason, but it's all I can think of."

"Well, whatever the reason, they aren't taking her. We'll make sure of that." Dad says.

I smile a little, "Thanks, dad."

Harmony comes back in the room then and we quickly change the subject. I don't know whether she would understand or not, but she would know it was bad and I don't want her upset. I do my best to pretend everything is okay while I get her breakfast and get her ready for the day.

After I fight her to take a bath- she hates the shower so it's not an easy task to get her clean on the bus- I dress her in the green t-shirt and ruffled denim skirt she's picked out and attempt to do her hair.

"Ow!" She yelps, "Stop pulling!"

"Sorry." I tell her, trying to gently pull the brush through her waist-length wet hair, "How do you want it?"

"Fish braid!" She replies.

"A what?" I ask.

She rolls her eyes and grabs the brush and hair band from me, running off with them, "Aunt Rydel, can you do my hair?"

"Sure." I hear Rydel answer.

I shake my head and follow Harmony to the front of the bus. Rydel sits down on the floor and Harmony sits in front of her, letting her get to work.

"I guess your daddy's no good at doing hair?" Rydel asks her.

"He's hopeless." Harmony replies.

"Hey!" I interject, "I may not be a professional but I'm not hopeless."

Rydel laughs, "I think I have to agree with Harmony on this one."

I roll my eyes as Harmony sticks her tongue out at me.

"What do you think?" Rydel asks as she finishes Harmony's hair a few minutes later.

Harmony inspects it, "I like it." She hugs Rydel, "Thank you."

Rydel hugs her back, "No problem, girly."

Harmony walks over to me and points at her hair, "See, fish braid."

"Fishtail." Rydel corrects.

"Yeah, that." Harmony says.

"I see, and that is definitely out of my league." I reply.

"That's cuz you're hopeless." She retorts.

"Alright, that does it." I grab her and start tickling her.

She giggles and squeals like crazy, "Let me go!"

I stop tickling her but don't let go, "Nope, I'm never letting you go, you're stuck with me forever."

She looks at me, "Forever and ever?"

I nod, "Yep."

"Good." She grins.

I smile and hug her, kissing her cheek.

The rest of the morning is spent rushing around getting things ready for the airport. We're flying to South America for a few shows, which would be exciting if I didn't have an impending custody battle on my mind. I try to push those thoughts away, putting on a smile for Harmony's sake.

We get to the airport and Harmony is bouncing all over the place, going from one person to the next. I finally catch her just as she tries to run from mom to Rydel.

"Harmony Reagan, if you don't settle down and stay put I'm going to put you on a leash." I tell her, earning me a few looks from some nearby moms.

"Okay sweetheart, how bout we go find a place to sit down and you can color?" Mom says, taking Harmony's backpack from me.

"Okay." Harmony replies, taking mom's hand and following her.

I shake my head, "It's hard to believe she was terrified the last time I brought her to an airport."

Dad laughs, "Just be happy she's excited now. Not many three year olds are good plane travelers."

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there." I reply.

We check our luggage and go to find mom and Harmony. We find them over by the big window, watching the planes coming and going.

"Daddy, I can see all the planes!" Harmony calls as we walk up.

I smile and scoop her up, "Yeah, I see that."

The planes keep her distracted so I keep her there for a while, even after everyone else goes to sit down. She gets bored eventually, as I expected she would, and we go sit down so she can color.

I use this down time to start looking up lawyers. I come across one that has a lot of good reviews and walk off to a quiet spot to call her. I explain my situation to her, thankful when she says she'll take my case.

"Is it safe to assume that your family will be willing to testify on your behalf?" She asks.

"Yeah, I think so." I answer.

"Good. That'll be a tremendous help, especially if they bring anyone to testify against you." She replies.

"So, uh, what happens next?" I question.

"Well, a social worker will most likely come to talk to you, and Harmony of course, and see how she lives and interacts with you. Then they'll probably want to talk to the other grandparents as well, and see how she interacts with them as well. After all that, it'll go to court and the social worker will report her findings, both parties will testify, and the judge will make a ruling." She explains.

"When you say they'll want to see how Harmony interacts with the other grandparents, you mean she'll have to go with them?" I ask.

"Yes, she will. Probably just for a couple hours just so they can see how she gets along with them, then she'll be brought right back to you." She answers.

"Okay." I reply.

"To be honest Mr. Lynch, unless they can pull up some evidence that she is abused or neglected, they don't really have a case. I predict this will be open and shut in no time." She says.

"I really hope so." I sigh.

"So, I'll start making some calls and I will get back to you as soon as I can with more information." She responds.

"Okay, thank you." I say.

"No problem, goodbye." The line goes silent.

I stick my phone back in my pocket and go back over to where everyone is sitting.

"Where's Harmony?" I ask, my pulse quickening when I see she isn't there.

"Mom took her to the bathroom." Riker says.

I breathe a sigh of relief and sink into my chair.

What'd the lawyer say?" Dad asks.

"Well, a social worker has to come and investigate me and then Alyssa's parents so they can give a report to the judge. But, she thinks they don't have much of a case unless they can bring up some evidence that she's abused or neglected." I explain.

He nods, "That's good. Maybe this whole mess will be over with soon."

"I hope so but…I just have this feeling that it's going to get worse before it gets better." I reply.

He starts to say something else but mom and Harmony come back then so we change the subject. I go to get something to drink a little bit later, and mom follows so I can recount the phone call to her. She seems relieved about the lawyer thinking the case will be open and shut, but I still can't shake the feeling that it won't be that simple.

Before we know it, it's time to get on the plane. It's a long flight, but we make it to South America, excited for our shows. We spend nearly a week there, and during that time I almost forget about everything awaiting me when I get home. The shows go amazing and Harmony has a blast, making it even better. My lawyer calls me in the middle of the trip and we make an appointment to meet when I get back to LA. It's not until the plane ride home, however, that I start getting nervous.

Upon arriving home, Ross is a little upset that he's been kicked out of dad's office, giving me dirty looks as he moves his stuff back into his old room. He gets over it quick though, smiling as Harmony tries to help him move his stuff. It also helps that Riker reminds him that it's only temporary since we will be moving in to our own place soon. I had talked it over with all of them beforehand, making sure they were all okay with Harmony being there. They were okay with it, of course, the only stipulation being that Harmony spends some nights with mom and dad so they can have 'mature' fun.

The day after we get home, I have to meet with my lawyer. The appointment starts off well, but it quickly turns bad. She informs me that Alyssa's parents have someone willing to testify against me, meaning the social worker is going to be investigating deeper. She can't tell me who it is, and I can't figure out who it would be. Alyssa didn't have much family, and I can't think of any friends, her's or her parents, that would testify against me. The lawyer gives me some papers with case information and dates and I leave feeling more worried than when I came in. I call mom on the way home to tell her everything I found out.

As soon as I walk through the door, Harmony crashes into my legs. She was asleep when I left so it is the first time she has seen me today.

"Daddy!" She squeals.

"Hey, baby girl." I smile, picking her up, "Were you good for Uncle Ellington and Aunt Rydel?" Dad and my brothers had all went to play hockey and mom tagged along to watch, so I had left her with Ratliff and Rydel. Mom had offered to take her, but I figured she would get bored and cause trouble.

"Of course she was." Rydel says, coming around the corner.

Ratliff follows close behind, "Yeah, she was a prefect little angel. Are you sure she's yours?"

I roll my eyes.

"So how'd the appointment go?" Rydel asks.

"In the kitchen." I tell her, sitting Harmony down, "You stay here and play for a minute, okay?"

Harmony nods, "Okay."

Rydel and Ratliff follow me to the kitchen.

"They've got someone to testify against me. She can't give me any details, but they're supposed to have a lot of bad stuff on me." I tell them quietly.

Rydel's eyes go wide, "What? Seriously?"

"Who would testify against you?" Ratliff asks.

I shake my head, "I have no idea. I've been wracking my brain but no one comes to mind."

"That's just crazy. Everyone that knows you knows how much you love Harmony and that you would never hurt her." Rydel says.

Suddenly I am hit with realization. I had thought about this before, and even brought it up with Riker the other day, but I wasn't sure then. Now, however, I know for sure who would want her taken away from me.

"Matthew." I hiss.

They both look at me.

"Alyssa boyfriend.?" Ratliff asks.

"Yeah. We've never gotten along; he would be willing to help them take her from me because he always talked Alyssa into keeping her from me. Plus, they would need someone on the inside, so it would be more believable." I explain.

"You think he would really do that?" Rydel questions.

I nod, "Definitely. After we had that huge fight over Harmony calling him daddy, he almost convinced Alyssa to file for sole custody and take what little rights I did have away, so I wouldn't put it past him to support her parents in doing the same."

Ratliff frowns, "Is he crazy or something? Why is he so hell bent on taking her from you?"

I shake my head, "I have no idea. Maybe he has some weird, personal vendetta against me. Whatever the reason, I know it's him helping them."

"Well, so what if he is? They've got one psycho liar," Rydel puts her hand on my shoulder, "You've got all of us."

I smile, "I know, and that really means a lot."

She starts to say something else but is interrupted by a loud thump from the living room, followed by Harmony crying. I bolt into the living room to find Harmony laying on the floor between the couch and coffee table, holding her head and crying. I'm instantly on my knees beside her.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I-I fell off the c-couch and hit my h-head." She sobs.

"Let me see." I move her hands and that's when I see the blood.

I hear Rydel gasp behind me.

"Is it bad?" Ratliff asks.

"I can't tell yet." I answer, scooping her up and carrying her to the bathroom.

I sit Harmony on the sink, getting a towel to clean off the blood.

Harmony whimpers, "It hurts."

"I know, baby." I say softly.

Rydel appears in the doorway, "Well?"

"I think it's going to need stitches." I reply, holding the towel to Harmony's head.

Harmony's eyes widen, "No! I don't want stitches!"

"I don't think you have much choice." I tell her.

She looks up at me, bottom lip quivering, "But it'll hurt…"

"Just for a little bit, then it'll be all better and we'll go get ice cream." I pick her up off the sink, careful to keep the towel over the gash.

"I want bunny!" Harmony yells as we get to the door.

"I'll grab it." Rydel says.

I nod and carry Harmony out to the car, strapping her into her seat. Rydel returns a moment later, Ratliff on her heels. She climbs in the back with Harmony, taking my place holding the towel. Ratliff gets in the passenger seat as I get in the driver's seat and start the car before pulling out of the driveway.

On the way to the hospital, a bunch of different 'what ifs' start popping into my mind. What if she hit her head hard enough that she has a concussion? What if she loses too much blood? What if it gets infected? What if the social worker sees it and thinks I did it?

I shake these thoughts away as I park the car. I get out quickly, getting Harmony out of her seat and hurrying to the door with Ratliff and Rydel following. I go straight up to the desk where a rather grumpy looking receptionist sits.

"Can I help you?" She asks, not even looking up.

"My daughter fell and cut her head. I think she needs stitches." I answer.

"Name?" She glances up this time.

"Harmony Lynch." I tell her.

She writes it down then tosses a clipboard onto the counter, "Fill these out. A doctor will be with you shortly."

"Thanks." I reply, grabbing the clipboard.

"How long did they say?" Ratliff asks as I sit down.

\ "She didn't. She just said a doctor would be with us shortly." I reply.

He nods as Rydel takes the clipboard from me and starts filling in some of the blanks.

"What day is her birthday?" She asks.

"September 14th." I answer.

"Any allergies?"

"Honey."

"Any prior surgeries?"

"No."

"Medication?"

"No."

She scribbles down my answers, "Uh, any history of heart disease or diabetes on the mother's side?"

I think for a moment, "I have no idea."

She scribbles something down and scans the paper, "I think that about does it."

Ratliff holds his hand out, "I'll take it up there."

Rydel nods and hands it to him before turning back to me, "I texted mom on the way here and told her what happened."

"Did you tell her they didn't need to all come down here?" I ask.

"No, but I'm sure they won't." She replies.

"Yeah right, they'll all come piling in here, thinking it's much worse than it is." I shake my head.

"Daddy, my head hurts." Harmony interrupts.

"I know sweetheart, but we have to wait on the doctor." I tell her.

"I snuck a peak at her list, they should be taking her back any minute now." Ratliff says as he sits back down.

"Good." I respond.

It's really only a few minutes but it seems like forever before a nurse appears, calling Harmony's name. We follow her back to a little curtained off cubicle where she takes Harmony's vitals and inspects her wound. She tells us a doctor will be in momentarily to suture it up.

Both of my parents and all three of my brothers show up while we're waiting for the doctor. I groan but am actually a little glad that they're here. All their fawning over Harmony keeps her distracted, which is a tremendous help when the doctor comes in to give her a numbing shot before he does the stitches. The doctor leaves her for a few minutes, so she can calm down and the shot can take effect. It is in this time that I get the biggest shock of the day.

"Where is she? Where's Harmony?" A voice calls.

The curtain is thrown back suddenly and none other than Alyssa's parents are standing there.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, standing up.

"I have a friend who works here, she told me Harmony was brought in for stitches." Alyssa's mom answers.

"She's fine. It's a little cut. You don't need to be here." I say.

Alyssa's dad steps forward then, "Like hell we don't need to be here." He points his finger at me, "This is a perfect example of why you shouldn't have her. You've only had her a couple weeks and already she's in the hospital."

I start to say something else but freeze, tensing up when I see who's behind them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demand.

"Jim and Caroline called me." Matthew answers.

I glare, "You have no business here. She's my kid, not yours, so I suggest you leave. Now."

"She may be your kid, but that doesn't mean she's safe with you." He retorts.

This does it. I lunge for him but Riker and Ratliff grab me, holding me back. I try to break free but their grip is too tight.

"It's not worth it, Rocky." Riker says.

"Let security deal with him. He can't be here if you don't want him here." Ratliff adds.

Dad steps in front of me, "I think it's best you all leave. Before this gets further out of hand. I'm sure Rocky will allow you to call and check on Harmony later." No he won't.

They stare at him, debating.

"It's that or we call security and have them escort you out." Dad says.

They all give me dirty looks before turning and leaving. Riker and Ratliff don't release me until they are long gone. I angrily pace across the room.

"I can't believe they had the nerve to show up here. Especially him." I seethe, "I swear if I ever get my hands on that little…"

Mom puts her hand on my shoulder, "Rocky…"

I look at her and she glances at Harmony, who is watching me, eyes wide.

I take a deep breath and go and sit next to her, pulling her into my lap.

"Why are you so mad, daddy?" Harmony asks timidly.

"I'm just upset with your other grandparents and Matthew. They're not being very nice right now." I say.

She looks up at me, "I don't like it when you're mad."

"I know, I'm sorry. I promise to watch my temper around you. Okay?" I respond.

She smiles a little, "Okay."

The doctor comes back then and gets to work sewing up the gash on her head. I can tell she's scared but she puts on a brave face, trying to act tough. He finishes within a few minutes and she ends up with five stitches. As a reward, he gives her a sticker and little stuffed giraffe, which she goes crazy over.

"You were so brave." Dad tells her as we exit the hospital.

I squeeze her hand, "Yeah, I'm really proud of you, Harmony."

Harmony grins, "Can we go get ice cream now?"

I laugh and pick her up, "Of course."

Mom and dad decide to go on home while the rest of us go for ice cream. We get our frozen treats and find a big booth in the back, hoping it will be more secluded.

I look at Harmony and shake my head, "I think you more ice cream on you than in you."

She gives me a big chocolaty smile and goes back to eating.

"She just had her head busted open, let her eat how she wants." Ryland mockingly scolds.

"Fine, then you can give her a bath later." I retort.

"You have to give her credit though, she hardly cried at all." Ratliff says.

"That's because you're no wimp, are you Harmony?" Riker smiles.

"Nope. I'm tough." Harmony replies.

"And now you'll have the scar to prove it." Ross adds.

"And if anyone says anything, you just tell them 'you should see the other kid'." Ratliff tells her.

Harmony grins, "Okay."

I shake my head but laugh. I notice Rydel roll her eyes at us.

"How bout we go get you cleaned up before your dad and uncles turn you into a tiny scrapper?" Rydel says, getting up and leading Harmony back to the bathroom.

"So we're all going to the movies tomorrow. You coming?" Riker asks.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on Harmony. She's been pretty clingy lately." I answer.

"C'mon, it'd be good for you to get out, take your mind off everything. She'll be okay for a couple hours." Ross coaxes.

"Plus, you can't spend all your time playing tea party and barbies." Ryland adds.

I sigh, knowing they're right, "Okay. I'll talk to mom when we get home and see if her and dad can baby-sit."

My agreement to going out brings on a round of high fives. Rydel and Harmony return a moment later and we clear our table and head home. I spend the rest of my evening with Harmony, playing with blocks, coloring and watching Disney movies. She's still shaken up at bedtime so she ends up sleeping with me.

The next day, to make up for leaving her all evening, I take Harmony to the beach, just her and me like I promised I would weeks ago. It's her first beach trip and she has a blast, splashing in the waves, building sand castles and picking up shells. By the time we leave, she is exhausted. I keep her awake long enough to get her cleaned up then put her down for a nap before collapsing on the couch.

"How'd she like the beach?" Rydel asks, coming to sit beside me.

"She loved it. I probably wouldn't have been able to get her to leave if she hadn't been so tired." I answer.

She laughs, "Aww."

"I can't wait to take her when everyone else goes, I think she'll have even more fun then." I say.

"I'm sure she will." Rydel agrees.

I sit around with Rydel for a while, just talking and hanging out. It's nice to actually have adult conversation, and it makes me even more ready to go out tonight.

I finally have to wake Harmony up, not wanting her to sleep too long so she's not up all night. I get her a snack before she goes off to follow Rydel around while she gets ready. We're getting ready to leave when she comes running up to me with a book in her hand.

"Daddy, read to me!" She says.

I kneel down in front of her, "I can't right now, I'm getting ready to leave. But I'll read it when I get back, okay?"

The book falls to her side, "Can I come?"

"Not this time, baby girl." I tell her.

She pokes her bottom lip out, "But-but you can't leave me!"

"It's only going to be for a couple hours. Grandma and grandpa are going to be here, they'll play with you." I say, kissing her cheek, "I love you, I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

At first I assume she's just being clingy, but then it dawns on me then that since I picked her up that night, I haven't really been away from her, and the few times I have, she was asleep when I left. When I look at her, she looks scared, and then does something that makes me feel like I've been punched in the stomach.

She throws her arms around my neck, tears in her eyes, "You can't go! If you leave you'll never come back! Just like mommy!"

Okay some maybe this wasn't quiet as crazy as I thought it was going to be, but there was still some drama. Did anyone predict Matthew would be involved in the custody thing? Hope you liked it! Stay tuned for chapter five! Don't forget to review/favorite/follow! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**And here it is! Chapter 5! Sorry it took so long, finals have been occupying most of my time. Keep the awesome feedback coming, guys! It keeps me motivated! I've actually got a lot planned for this chapter so it could get interesting.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Rocky POV

Harmony throws her arms around my neck, tears in her eyes, "You can't go! If you leave you'll never come back! Just like mommy!"

I hug her tightly against me, "Shh, it's okay, I'm not going anywhere." I look up at the guys and Rydel, "You guys go on without me. I can't leave her right now."

"Are you sure? We could always postpone. Or even just take her with us." Riker offers.

"No, go on. Harmony needs me here right now, and I think she and I need to talk." I reply.

He nods, "Okay, I guess we'll see you later then."

They all mutter goodbyes and follow Riker out the door. The say goodbye to Harmony as well, but she keeps her face hidden in my shoulder. I pick her up and go poke my head in the kitchen to tell mom I don't need her to baby-sit before going to our makeshift room, sitting on my bed with her in my lap.

Harmony looks up at me, sniffling. I brush her tears away with my thumb.

"Listen baby girl," I say softly, "No matter what, I am always going to come back for you, okay?"

"But-but mommy didn't." She sniffs.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I won't." I respond.

She clings to my shirt, "I don't want you to leave me."

"Harmony, I'm going to have to leave sometimes. I can't always be with you every second of every day." I explain gently, "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to come back. I promise, no matter what, I'll always come back. Always."

She whimpers, hiding her face in my chest. Realizing I'm not going to get anywhere with her like this, I get an idea and, trying to ignore the sad look she gives me, lift Harmony off my lap. I get up and grab my guitar, quickly returning to her side.

She looks at me, "What are you doing?"

"Just listen." I reply.

I start playing and her face lights up, instantly recognizing the song.

I smile as I start to sing, "You like mismatched socks with polka dots

You like your pizza cold, I think that's hot

You like to swim at night when the moon is full

You think that makes you strange, I think that's cool

And you say, you're scared

That I won't be there  
>Baby, I swear<br>I'm not going anywhere

You can change your hair five times a week  
>You can change your name<br>Get a little bit crazy  
>You can dance in the rain<br>Rockin' secondhand chic  
>But I live for the day that I'm calling you baby<p>

'Cause I'm falling for you  
>For everything that you do<br>Baby, I'm falling for you  
>You might be crazy<br>But baby, I'm falling for you

I seem predictable, vanilla plain

And all the mannequins, they look the same

There's no one else like you, one of a kind

And I'm a luck guy, cause you're all mine

And you say, you're scared

That I won't be there  
>Baby, I swear<br>I'm not going anywhere

You can change your hair five times a week  
>You can change your name<br>Get a little bit crazy  
>You can dance in the rain<br>Rockin' secondhand chic  
>But I live for the day that I'm calling you baby<p>

'Cause I'm falling for you  
>For everything that you do<br>Baby, I'm falling for you  
>You might be crazy<br>But baby, I'm falling for you

Yeah (12x)

You might be crazy but baby I'm fallin for you

You like mismatched socks with polka dots

You like your pizza cold

Yeah, I'm fallin for you

I'm fallin for you

You can change your hair five times a week

You can change your name, get a little bit crazy

You can dance in the rain, rockin secondhand chic

But I live for the day that I'm calling you baby

Cause I'm falling for you

For everything that you do

Baby, I'm falling for you

You might be crazy, but baby, I'm fallin for you

Yeah(12x)

I'm fallin, I'm fallin for you

Yeah(12x)

You might be crazy

But baby I'm fallin for you."

Harmony claps as I finish, a huge grin on her face.

"Did that make you feel any better?" I ask.

She nods, "Yep. But I still don't want you to leave me."

I sigh, "How bout we try taking this a little bit at a time? Maybe starting with you sleeping in your own bed?"

She looks at me, eye wide. Technically, she did sleep in her own bed, but only when I put her there after she fell asleep in mine. Even on tour she would fall asleep on the couch with me and I would carry her to bed.

"What? That's not so scary. It won't be any different from any other night, except you'll be falling asleep there now." I say.

"Will you stay with me till I fall asleep?" She asks.

"Of course I will." I reply.

"Okay, I'll try it." She responds uncertainly.

I smile, "Okay. Now, how bout we go get your bath and we can watch a movie till your bedtime?"

"Do I have to get a bath?" She whines.

"Yes." I say, standing and scooping her up.

"Can we watch 'ristocats after?" She asks.

"If I can I find it." I answer, going to get her pajamas out of the drawer.

"No! Not those! I want my dino ones!" Harmony points at another pair of pajamas.

I shake my head and put the pink nightgown back and grab the purple pajamas with green dinosaurs on them. I give her a quick bath and dig out her Aristocats movie. We are about halfway through when her eyes start getting heavy. I start to turn it off but she perks back up as soon as I reach for the remote. She manages to stay awake till the end, but is barely able to keep her eyes open. I carry her to bed, laying down with her until she falls asleep, which is only a few minutes. Afterwards, I decide to go start on some new music I've been meaning to work on.

I get distracted, however, when I trip on something sticking out from under Harmony's bed. I bend down to pick it up, realizing it's her baby book. I sit down on the edge of my bed and start flipping through it. I read where Alyssa wrote down all her firsts; first tooth, first time she rolled over, first time she sat up on her own, first word- dada, of course-, first steps, the list goes on and on. I start looking at all the pictures, ranging from the first ultrasound to just a couple months ago. I smile when I come across one from Harmony's first birthday where I'm holding her and she has cake all over her, a huge grin on her face.

I go to turn the page, stopping when something flutters out. I pick it up, seeing it's another picture. This one isn't exactly of Harmony though; it's from when Alyssa was pregnant. In it, she is standing sideways, her hands resting on her huge belly and I'm behind her with my arms around her, hands resting on top of hers, and she has her head turned, kissing me. I remember exactly when this was taken; a month before Harmony was born, right after her baby shower. I can't believe she actually kept this. I thought she threw away every picture of us after we broke up. I smile a little, remembering how good we had been together before everything turned sour between us. I sigh, glancing over at Harmony. At least something good came out of that.

"What are you doing?"

I jump at the sound of my mom's voice and look up to see her standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She whispers, noticing Harmony is asleep.

"It's fine. I was just looking through Harmony's baby book." I reply, sticking the picture back in.

Her face lights up, "Can I see?"

"Sure." I say, getting up.

We go out to the living room and I give her the book so she can look through it. She turns the pages, closely examining each one.

"She looked just like you did when you were born." Mom says, holding up a picture of Alyssa and I at the hospital the day Harmony was born.

"I know. It always drove Alyssa crazy that Harmony barely took after her at all. Although, I think I do have to agree with Ratliff that she could be a mini-Rydel, too." I reply.

"She does look a lot like her." She agrees.

Mom keeps flipping through the book as I look over her shoulder. Dad comes in a moment later and sits on mom's other side so he can see as well. We're almost through it when my phone beeps, signaling a text. I frown when I see it's from an unknown number. I almost ignore it but decide to go ahead and open it.

_I know about your situation with Alyssa's parents and have some information that may help you and keep them away from Harmony. Meet me Friday morning at the park across from the old movie theatre. I'll be wearing a red jacket and a blue hat._

_ -J_

I'm extremely creeped out when I finish reading the text. Who is J and how does he know so much about me? Part of me wants to meet him and find out what he's up to and the other part wants to keep Harmony as close to my side as possible, not sure what this creep would do since he knows so much.

"Everything okay?" Dad asks.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Just some crazy message from a fan." I answer, putting my phone back in my pocket.

He nods and goes back to looking at the book.

Just as mom closes the book, all four of my siblings plus Ratliff come through the door. Rather noisily, I might add.

"Hey, keep it down, Harmony's asleep and if she wakes up now I'll never get her back to bed." I say.

I roll my eyes as they all pretend to zip their lips.

"Is that a photo album?" Rydel whispers.

I nod, "Baby book actually. Want to see?"

"Duh!" She replies, taking it from my hand as everyone surrounds her to see as well.

I stand, "Hey, Riker, can I talk to you real quick?"

"Sure." Riker replies.

I wait until we are in his room before taking my phone out and showing him the text message.

"Wow. That's creepy." He says as he finishes reading it.

"Do you think I should go meet him? See what it's all about?" I ask.

"I don't know. You shouldn't go alone if you do." He answers.

"Are you going to go with me if I do, then?"

"Sure." He shrugs.

"I think I should go. If anything, just to tell him to back off." I reply.

He nods. "Yeah. It's a little weird that he knows that much. If it's even a he, that is." I hadn't thought about that.

"I guess it's settled then. Just do me a favor and don't say anything to anyone, not even mom. At least not until I figure this all out." I say.

"My lips are sealed." He responds.

"Now I just have to figure out how to sneak out without Harmony knowing. I hate to do it that way, but I know she won't let me leave." I sigh.

"Maybe you can get in and out before she even wakes up." He suggests.

"Maybe." I reply.

We go back out into the living room then and Riker joins in looking at the baby book. I sit back on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. I must fall asleep there because when I open my eyes the room is dark and someone, probably mom, has thrown a blanket over me. I sit up and stretch before pulling myself up and going to my room. I flop down on my bed, not even bothering to change out of my clothes before falling back asleep.

It feels like I've only been asleep for a few minutes when I'm awoken by Harmony lifting my eyelids, her face inches from mine.

"Daddy?" She whispers.

"Go back to bed, Harmony, it's too early." I grumble.

"Nuh-uh! The sun is up!" She retorts.

"That doesn't mean it's time to get up." I glance at the clock, groaning when I see it's only seven.

"But I want breakfast!" She whines.

"Can't you wait just a little bit longer?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "Nope."

"Five more minutes?" I lay my head back down on the pillow.

She tries to shake me, "No! Get your lazy butt up!"

I sigh, "Okay, okay. I'm getting up."

She steps back, looking satisfied, "Good."

I sit up, dragging a hand down my face. Harmony zips out of the room, presumably to the kitchen. I drag myself out of bed and slowly follow her. She's already climbed up onto a chair at the table. I shake my head and go pour her a bowl of cereal. I sit the bowl in front of her and slide into the seat next to her. She eagerly starts eating.

I prop my elbow up on the table and rest my head against my hand, yawning as I watch her.

"Can we do something fun today?" Harmony asks through a mouthful of cereal.

"Like what? And don't talk with you mouth full." I reply.

She swallows, "Like Disneyland?"

"I'm not sure we can do that today." I say.

Her face falls, "Oh."

"But I am going to take you sometime, I promise. Maybe around Christmas, when things have slowed down." I add quickly.

"Okay." She grins and goes back to eating.

I think for a moment before finally getting an idea, "How bout the zoo? I think we could do that today."

She nods, "Yeah! I wanna do that!"

I smile, "Okay. We'll wait until everyone else is up, see if they want to go too."

She stands up on her chair and throws her arms around my neck, "Yay! Thank you daddy!"

I hug her back, "You're welcome, baby girl, now sit down and finish your breakfast."

She sits back down and goes back to wolfing her food down. Mom walks in then.

"Look at you two, up bright and early." Mom says, coming over to kiss Harmony on the head.

"Grandma, guess what! We're going to the zoo!" Harmony tells her excitedly.

"Oh that sounds fun." Mom replies.

"Do you wanna come with us?" Harmony asks.

"I would, sweetheart, but uncle Ross has to be on set for Austin and Ally today and I already said I would go with him." Mom answers.

"Next time?" Harmony questions hopefully.

"Of course." Mom smiles.

Harmony grins at mom then pushes her bowl towards me, "Done!"

I take her bowl to the sink before coming back to scoop her up off her chair.

"Let's go get you dressed munchkin." I say.

Harmony giggles, "Okay."

I playfully toss her onto her bed, eliciting more giggles from her.

"Can I wear my blue sparkly dress?" Harmony asks.

I open one of her dresser drawers, looking through it before finding the dress.

I hold it up, "This one?"

She nods, "Yep!"

I get her clothes changed and brush her hair before sending her off to go play while I get a shower. Afterwards, I go to look for her, finding her in the living room. I can't help laughing when I see her. Ross is sitting on the floor with Harmony standing behind him, her box of hair accessories at her feet, while she attempts to style his hair.

"Get a new stylist, Ross?" I ask, laughing.

He looks up, shrugging, "She was bored."

"Hey mister, hold still." Harmony scolds, pulling a brush through Ross's hair.

"Sorry." He laughs.

I take a seat on the couch, watching as Harmony clips several bows and glittery barrettes in his hair. I manage to sneak a picture when Ross isn't looking. Mom walks in the room a few minutes later.

"Ross, are you-oh!" Mom smiles, trying to hold back her laughter.

Harmony looks up at her, grinning proudly, "Does uncle Ross look pretty?"

"He looks gorgeous." Mom replies.

"Yeah, I bet he can't wait to go show it off." I say.

Harmony turns back to Ross, "Are you really going to show everyone?"

"Do you want me to?" He asks.

Harmony nods.

He sighs, "Okay, I'll leave it as is, then. But, you know someone else who likes bows in their hair?"

She tilts her head, "Who?"

He glances up at me, "Your dad."

Harmony giggles, "I already knew that. He likes his nails painted too." I'm sure I'll never hear the end of that one.

Ross laughs, "Oh, then maybe you should go paint his nails next."

Harmony looks at me, "Can I, daddy?"

"Uh, maybe later. I think you need to go wake up your aunt and uncles if you want them to go to the zoo with you." I reply.

She nods, "Okay."

I watch as Harmony hugs mom and Ross goodbye before disappearing out of the room. She must run into dad on her way because I hear her telling him goodbye as well. He appears a moment later and follows mom and Ross out the door. Through the window I can see Ross taking the bows out of his hair as he gets in the car. I sit back and close my eyes, taking advantage of the few minutes that Harmony is distracted.

She must get Rydel up first because she is the first to walk out a few minutes later.

"Why is Harmony going on about the zoo?" Rydel asks sleepily.

"I told her I'd take her to the zoo today and she wants everybody to go with her." I reply.

She yawns, "Oh. When are you leaving?"

I shrug, "I guess whenever everyone is ready."

She nods, "Then I'm going to go beat Riker and Ryland to the shower." She disappears out of the room.

Riker comes in several minutes later, carrying Harmony over his shoulder.

"I think this little monkey belongs to you." He says, sitting her down next to me, "I guess you're returning her to the zoo today?"

"Yeah, we're throwing her back into the monkey cage." I laugh.

Harmony crosses her arms, "Hey! I'm not a monkey! I'm a human bean!"

"Human _being_." I correct.

Harmony rolls her eyes and grabs onto Riker's hand, "Will you go to the zoo with me, uncle Riker? Pretty please?"

Riker smiles, "Of course I will, short stuff."

She grins, "Yay!"

"Hey, you've still got one more person to wake up." I remind her.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" She replies as she runs out of the room.

"I guess I should go get ready." Riker says before walking out.

After several minutes, I decide I should probably track Harmony down. I find her attempting to pull Ryland out of his bed. I notice he is pretending to still be asleep, but Harmony doesn't.

"Try tickling him." I suggest.

She looks at me, grinning, before climbing up on the bed.

Ryland sits up before she can tickle him, "Okay, okay, I'm awake!"

Harmony sits back, "Good. Now will you get up so we can go to the zoo?"

"The zoo? Are we giving you back to the monkeys?" Ryland jokingly asks.

Harmony crosses her arms, "That wasn't funny when uncle Riker said it and it's not funny now!"

He ruffles her hair, "Calm down, I'm just kidding."

I scoop her up before she can react to him messing up her hair, "C'mon, let's go so uncle Ryland can get ready."

Harmony glares at him over my shoulder as I carry her out and I can hear Ryland laughing at her.

"Do you want to call uncle Ratliff and see if he wants to go?" I ask as we go back into the living room.

"Yeah!" She replies eagerly, already forgetting that she was mad.

I take my phone out and dial his number. He doesn't answer, still asleep I assume, so I call again. He answers on the last ring.

"Hello?" Judging by his voice, he was definitely asleep.

I put it on speaker and hand the phone to Harmony.

"Hi uncle Ratliff!" She greets cheerily.

"Hi Harmony. Does your dad know you have his phone?" He replies.

"Yes I know. I'm the one who called you. She has something she wants to ask." I say.

"Do you want to go to the zoo?" Harmony asks.

"Hell yeah I want to go the zoo!" He answers, sounding more awake.

I try to hold back my laughter, "Hey, watch your language. That is a little kid you're talking to."

"Sorry. When are you leaving?" He responds.

"As soon as everybody is ready, so soon hopefully." I tell him.

"Okay. I'll get ready and head your way." He replies.

"Alright. Later." I say.

"Later. Bye Harmony."

"Bye uncle Ratliff!" Harmony chimes.

It is another hour before everyone is ready and we are out the door, piling into the car. It's only the second time Harmony has been to the zoo, the first when she too little to remember, so she is bouncing with excitement the entire time. I'm grateful for our big group, not sure I could keep track of her on my own with the way she running all over the place. She's just pulled Ryland over to look at the lions when I hear a familiar voice behind me.

"Rocky Lynch."

I turn around, smiling when I see who it is, "Alexa? What are you doing here?"

She smiles back "Just spending some time with my family. What about you? This doesn't exactly seem like your scene…"

"I'm here with my little girl, actually." I say.

"Oh yeah, I heard you had a daughter. I was actually a little shocked, especially when I found out she was already three." She replies.

"Yeah, I didn't really want her in the spotlight but that's not exactly possible now." I explain.

She gestures over to where Ryland is holding Harmony up to see over the fence, "That's her, I'm guessing?"

I nod, keeping a close eye on Harmony, getting a little nervous when Ryland lets her lean over the fence, "Yep, that's Harmony."

"She's cute." She responds.

"Daddy, come look at the lions!" Harmony calls.

"Okay baby girl, just a minute!" I call back, then turning back to Alexa, "I guess that's my cue to go."

"It was nice seeing you." She says.

"You too. Maybe uhm, maybe I could call you sometime and we could go out for dinner and catch up?" I ask nervously.

She smiles, "I'd like that."

I smile back, "Great. So I guess I'll see you later, then?"

"See you later." She leans in for a hug, which I happily accept.

We pull apart and go our separate ways. I walk over and take Harmony from Ryland.

"Do not ever hang my daughter over a fence, especially when it contains lions." I say.

Ryland rolls his eyes, "I had a hold of her, I wasn't going to drop her."

I start to say something but am interrupted by Harmony.

"Who was that girl?" She asks.

"Just an old friend." I answer.

"An old friend that you have a huge crush on." Ratliff says, coming up behind me.

I roll my eyes, "I do not."

"I don't know, that hug looked pretty intense…" Rydel teases.

"It was just a hug between friends. Nothing more." I reply.

"Then why'd you ask her out?" Riker asks.

"So we could catch up because we haven't seen each other in a while." I kiss Harmony's cheek, "Right here is the only girl for me. You're my number one, right?"

Harmony giggles, "Yep!"

I walk off before they can say anything else, "C'mon baby girl, let's go see some giraffes."

She grins, "Yay! I love giraffes!"

By the time we leave, Harmony is completely worn out. I carry her out to the car, and she falls asleep before we even get out the front gate. I have to wake her up when we stop for dinner. She's tired and grumpy so she barely eats and is immediately back asleep when we get back in the car. By the time we get home, however, she is starting to wake up.

We walk through the door to find all the lights out, and Ross on the couch with Laura watching the TV. He looks at us like a deer in the headlights, obviously thinking he would have the house to himself.

"I thought you guys were going to be out late?" Ross asks.

"The zoo is only so big." Ryland responds.

Harmony looks between Ross and Laura, "Who's she?"

"I'm Laura. I'm a friend of your uncle Ross. What's your name?" Laura says.

Harmony looks at her for a second before walking over to her, "I'm Harmony Reagan Lynch."

I try not to laugh as Harmony extends her hand for Laura to shake.

"It's very nice to meet you, Harmony." Laura smiles, shaking Harmony's hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." Harmony replies.

Laura looks up at me, "She's so cute."

"I get that a lot." Harmony says.

"She also has really high self-esteem" I laugh, then reach for Harmony's hand, "C'mon, let's leave them alone."

"Enjoy your movie, but remember, I'm right down the hall and I hear _everything_." Riker warns.

Rydel grabs his wrist and pulls him out of the room, "Leave them be."

I shake my head and lead Harmony out of the room, Ryland and Ratliff following. They all go downstairs, Rydel still dragging Riker, and I can't help laughing when I see him leave the door open.

"Can we go downstairs too?" Harmony asks.

"After we get your bath and pajamas." I answer.

After her bath, we go downstairs with everyone else, just like I told her. We're only down there a few minutes when she remembers her bunny. She runs back upstairs to get it and when she comes back, she is giggling.

"Daddy, guess what!" She says, grabbing onto my hand.

"What?" I ask.

"I saw uncle Ross kissing Laura!" She replies, catching everyone's attention.

I raise my eyebrows, "Really?"

She nods, "Uh huh!" Then, frowning, "Daddy, why was uncle Ross laying on her and putting his hand in her shirt?"

I scramble for an explanation, silently cursing Ross, "Because, uh, well, he…um…because he's bad."

"Oh. Does that mean he needs a time-out?" She asks.

"Yes, he does." I answer.

"And a cold shower." Riker mutters, heading for the stairs.

Rydel starts to get up and stop him, but changes her mind and sits back down. Riker walks heavily up the stairs, trying to make as much noise as he can. Ryland and Ratliff jump up and run to the bottom of the stairs to eavesdrop.

"What's he saying?" Rydel asks.

"He just asked when mom and dad will be home." Ryland answers.

"Now he's trying to get them to come downstairs." Ratliff adds, "I think Laura just said she's going to go home."

"Ross is going to kill him." Rydel says.

Ratliff and Ryland rush back to their seats then. Riker comes down the stairs a moment later, Ross following behind him, glaring daggers at the back of Riker's head. Harmony climbs off my lap and hurries over to him, hands on her hips.

"You need a time-out, mister." Harmony tells him.

Ross looks at her, confused, "What?"

She points her finger at him, "It is not nice to put your hands in people's shirts."

Ross's face turns bright red and we are all trying not to laugh.

"What'd you do, send her to spy on me?" Ross asks.

"No, she went upstairs to get something and caught you and then told us." I say.

"And even if she hadn't, one of us would have. It's not very smart to make out in a house full of people." Rydel adds.

Ross rolls his eyes, "That doesn't mean you had to come up there and embarrass me."

"Hey, as big brother it is my job to keep you out of trouble. Even if I have to embarrass you in the process." Riker defends.

"Trouble? We were just kissing." Ross replies.

"Yeah and the kind of kissing you were doing is what leads to trouble." Riker says.

"We would've stopped before it went too far." Ross responds.

"You say that now, but once you get caught up in the moment, it's not that simple." Ratliff adds.

"Yeah, kissing inevitably leads to bigger things." Ryland nods.

"And bigger things can lead to…" I gesture to Harmony.

Harmony looks at me, "What's that mean?"

"I'll tell you when you're older. Much older." I reply, "Maybe."

"Just because it happened to you, doesn't mean it'll happen to me." Ross says.

"I remember saying something along those lines. I think it was right before Alyssa told me she was pregnant." I respond, "So don't say that it won't happen, because it very easily could."

This gets to him and he sighs, "Okay, okay. I get it."

"So you're going to slow it down with Laura?" Rydel asks.

Ross rubs the back of his neck, "There's really nothing to slow down. We aren't together or anything. We were just rehearsing some lines and…got caught up in the moment."

"But you like her." Riker says.

Ross looks around nervously, "What?"

"You like her. If you didn't, you wouldn't have gotten caught up like that." Riker shrugs.

"Not only that, you brought her over, knowing you two would be alone, and then turned all the lights out." Rydel points out.

Ryland frowns, "Hey, how were you rehearsing lines in the dark?"

"Yeah, I don't buy it." Ratliff says.

"Me either." Harmony chimes, she stands up on the couch in an attempt to get eye level with him, but is barely at his shoulder, "Start fessing up, mister."

Ross looks at her, "You're a bossy little thing, aren't you?"

"Yep." Harmony replies proudly.

Ross picks her up, "Well, if you must know, we were reading off of my I-pad, so we didn't need a light. Satisfied?"

"I still don't believe him." Harmony responds.

My phone rings then and I leave them to banter while I go upstairs to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Is this Rocky Lynch?" A woman's voice asks.

"Yeah, who's this?" I reply.

"This is Casey, I spoke with you a couple weeks ago?" She says.

"Oh, okay. What can I do for you?"

"I'm calling regarding the custody case. If you're not busy tomorrow morning I was thinking I could come make my report?"

"Uh, sure, that should be fine."

"Okay, great. How does ten-thirty work for you?"

"Ten-thirty is fine."

"Okay, and one more thing. I was thinking we could just get this all out of the way at once, make the case move faster, and I could take her to the other grandparents and make my other report as well."

A knot forms in my stomach, "You would take her?"

"Or you can, if it makes you more comfortable. You just can't be present during the interaction." She replies.

"That might be a problem…" I say.

"Why's that?" She asks suspiciously.

"Harmony's going through a little bit of separation issues right now, and won't exactly let me leave her." I explain.

"Oh, well, I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Okay, then I guess we'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then." The phone clicks as she hangs up.

I slide the phone back in my pocket and go back downstairs. Harmony has drug out a set of blocks and has everyone on the floor, building a huge castle with her. I sit down between her and Rydel, joining in.

It's really late by the time we call it a night and I'm surprised Harmony is still awake. She's so awake that she doesn't want to go to bed.

Harmony throws herself on the floor, "I don't want to go to bed!"

"C'mon Harmony, it's late." I plead.

"No! I'm not tired yet!" She whines.

I pick her up, struggling to hold onto her when she starts squirming, "Tired or not, it's bed time."

She keeps squirming, "No!"

"If you don't go to bed you'll be too tired to play tomorrow." Rydel tries.

"Nuh uh!" Harmony responds.

"Oh yeah you will, and we've got a lot of fun stuff planned for tomorrow." Riker says.

Harmony stops squirming for a moment, thinking about it, and I take advantage of this brief pause to get a hold of her better and carry her to the stairs. She immediately starts trying to get loose again.

"No! Let me go! I don't wanna go to bed!" She cries.

"You better be this hard to get into bed when you're eighteen." I grumble.

I hear laughter behind me as I carry her up the stairs. I put her in her bed. She crosses her arms, pouting.

I sit on the edge of her bed, "C'mon baby girl, you have to go to bed. It's late, and I know you have to be tired."

"No I'm not." She says defiantly.

"How bout I read you a story?" I try.

She brightens, "Two stories?"

"If it'll make you go to sleep." I reply.

She scrambles out of bed and zips across the room, grabbing two book off the shelf and hurrying back to climb into my lap. She nestles close as I start reading. She is asleep halfway through the second book, just as I predicted she would be. I lay her down and tuck her in before going to climb into my own bed.

The next morning, I wake earlier than usual and get dressed as quietly as I can. I sneak out of the room, meeting Riker at the front door. We slip out and I drive us to the park. We put on our sunglasses and pull up our hoods, finding a bench to watch from. It seems like forever before someone matching our description walks by. I nudge Riker with my elbow and we get up and follow.

The guy finally stops a ways down the sidewalk, leaning against a tree. I approach him, still not able to see his face.

"Hey, are you J?" I ask.

"Yeah." He looks up, smiling creepily, "Been a while, Rocky."

I recognize him instantly, and almost think my eyes are playing tricks on me. It can't really be him, can it?

"Justin?" I say incredulously.

**Hmm, who's Justin? Any guesses? And how will Harmony handle the social worker? What about Rocky when Harmony has to go see Alyssa's parents? Stay tuned to find out! Also what do you think about Rocky and Alexa? What about Raura? Yay or nay? Let me know what you think! Next chapter coming soon! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Tah-dah! Chapter 6! Sorry it's taken so long, I'm really picky about my writing and won't post anything I'm not 110% happy with so I've been working on this for a while trying to perfect it. More drama to ensue in this chapter! Don't forget to follow/favorite/review!**

Rocky POV

"Justin?" I say incredulously.

"In the flesh." He replies.

Riker looks between us, "I'm confused. Do you know each other?"

I nod, "Yeah. This is Alyssa's brother."

Her twin brother to be exact. It had been almost two years since I had last seen him, and Alyssa had rarely talked about him. He took off the day he turned eighteen, and rarely talked to any of his family. It wasn't exactly surprising; he had always been a little different.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, turning back to Justin.

He shrugs, "I called to check in a few days ago and mom told me what was going on. Thought I might be able to help."

"Why would you want to help me?" I frown.

"Because I don't want to see them get Harmony." He replies.

"You haven't even seen her since she was a baby, and even then you never had anything to do with her. Why do you care what happens to her?" I know I am being harsh but I don't trust him.

"She's still my niece, and I don't want to see her turn out like Alyssa and I did. And she will if they get her, which they will stop at nothing to do." He responds.

"What are you talking about? Alyssa turned out okay." I ask.

He lets out a harsh laugh, "That's because you believed her charade. She was so screwed up it's not even funny." He looks me over, "I actually thought she might have a chance when she met you. Well, until she got pregnant, that is."

I turn to walk away, "Okay, I'm done with this."

"Fine, but you really need my help because they have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves." He calls.

I sigh, shooting a glance at Riker, who shrugs, and turn back around, "You better start getting to the point then."

"Okay, okay. For starters, you know how Alyssa died, right?" He asks.

"Yeah, she crashed her car. What does that have to do with anything?" I say, exasperated.

"More than you think. She crashed her car because she was drunk." He responds.

I see Riker's eyes widen.

"Drunk? Alyssa didn't drink." I reply.

He shakes his head, "Like I said, you believed her charade. Alyssa was an alcoholic. Had been for a while. She was only sober when you were around because she knew you would take Harmony if you found out."

I involuntarily clench my fist, "You're damn right I would've."

"Anyway, dear old mom and dad always made sure to keep it covered up. Y'know, telling people Alyssa was working late when she didn't pick up Harmony because she was passed out, making up excuses for the bottles laying around her house, that kind of thing." He explains.

"How did that even happen? I don't think I ever saw her pick up even a beer the whole time we were together." I ask.

He shrugs, "Not sure. My guess is between the shit they put her through and Matthew, it drove her to it."

He thrusts a yellow envelope towards me.

"I won't testify or anything, but you have my permission to use these statements to aid your case." He explains, "Everything you need to know is in there. I'll warn you, some of it is pretty bad."

I frown, and start to say something but he is already hurrying down the sidewalk.

"Well he was weird." Riker says.

I nod, "Yeah."

I look down at the envelope, trying to process everything he's just told me. Alyssa an alcoholic? It just didn't make sense, but then again maybe it did. It would explain why she rarely made an appearance when I would talk to Harmony on the phone, and why she only let me see and talk to Harmony when it was a convenient time for her.

Harmony. Does she know? What happened to her when Alyssa was drunk? What kind of things has she seen? I shake these thoughts away. Harmony can't know. She can't keep a secret for anything, if she knew she would have told me. I'm a little relieved for that. The last thing I want is for her to have bad memories of her mother.

"You ready to go?" Riker asks.

"Yeah." I answer.

We make our way back to the car in silence. I toss the envelope into the trunk before getting in. I haven't decided if I want to know what's in it yet or not. Riker starts talking about band stuff as I drive, I'm guessing in an attempt to get my mind off of things.

We get home and I have barely walked through the door when I hear Harmony crying. I rush towards our room, finding her standing in the middle of the hallway, tears running down her face.

"Harmony? What's wrong?" I ask, kneeling down in front of her.

She clings to me, "I woke up and couldn't find you."

I hug her tightly against me, "I'm sorry baby, I just stepped outside for a minute."

"I-I thought you left me." She sobs.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm right here, I didn't go anywhere." I soothe, gently rubbing her back.

"What happened? Is she okay?" Riker asks above me.

"Yeah, she just got a little scared when she couldn't find me." I answer.

I hear a door open and turn my head to see Rydel stepping out of her room.

"Why's she crying? What happened?" She asks worriedly.

"She woke up and couldn't find me, and got scared." I explain.

Rydel kneels down next to me, "Aw, poor thing." She strokes Harmony's hair, "You should have woke me up, I would have helped you find him."

Harmony doesn't say anything, just clings to me tighter.

I look at Rydel, "Did she do this the other morning when you watched her?"

"Yeah. We had to keep her distracted so she didn't start panicking." Rydel replies.

I nod and pull back from Harmony, gently brushing her tears away, "Are you okay?"

She sniffs and nods.

I smile and kiss her forehead, "Good."

Convinced that she is okay now, I send Harmony off with Rydel to get dressed while I rush around making sure everything is in order for the social worker. I'm on edge the entire time, even though I know there is nothing to be worried about.

"You're going to wear a rut in the floor if you keep pacing like that." Dad comments as he watches me from the couch.

"I can't help it. I'm worried she's going to find some reason Harmony shouldn't be with me." I reply.

"That's ridiculous." Mom scoffs, "There is absolutely nothing she could find to give her reason to take Harmony away. If anything, she will be more convinced that you should have her."

"I know, I just can't help worrying." I sigh, glancing over at Harmony, who is sitting on the floor, playing with her dolls, happily distracted from our conversation.

I jump when the doorbell rings. I take a deep breath before opening the door.

Casey smiles, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear, "Hello Mr. Lynch. Nice to see you again."

"You too." I return, stepping aside so she can come in. She follows me to the living room, where I point at each of my family members as I introduce them, "This is Riker, Ross, Ryland and Rydel, and my dad, Mark. I think you've already met my mom."

She waves at all of them, "It's nice to meet you all."

They wave back, muttering 'nice to meet you, too'.

"And this," I say, picking Harmony up, "is Harmony."

"Who are you?" Harmony asks.

"I'm Casey. I'm a social worker." Casey answers.

Harmony furrows her brow, "What's that?"

"I help kids and make sure they're safe." Casey explains.

"Why are you here? I don't need any help." Harmony replies.

Casey laughs a little, "I know, but I have to talk to you and your family, just to make sure." She looks at me, "I'll just give you a rundown of what is going to happen. I have to see the house, then I'll talk to you, then Harmony, then I have a few questions for your family members, and then I'll just observe how she interacts with you for a little bit."

I nod, "Okay. Do you want to give her the tour, Harmony?"

Harmony grins, "Yeah!"

I put her down and she grabs Casey's hand, leading her off the other parts of the house. I follow, smiling as Harmony acts as tour guide. Afterwards, Casey and I go to the kitchen so we can talk about whatever it is she has to talk to me about.

"I noticed Harmony has some stitches. What happened there?" Casey asks, taking a seat at the table.

"She fell off the couch and hit her head on the coffee table the other day." I answer, taking a seat across from her,

She nods and shuffles some papers around, "Okay, first off, how often would you say you saw Harmony before?"

"I always tried to drive up at least two weekends a month. There were times Alyssa wouldn't let me see her or I had band stuff and couldn't make it, but, excluding during tour, I never went more than a couple weeks without seeing her." I explain.

She nods, writing something down.

"And even if I didn't see her, I talked to her on the phone pretty much everyday." I add.

"When you are busy with your band, who normally watches her?" She asks next.

"My parents." I answer.

She doesn't look up from her papers, "Being in a band keeps you pretty busy, how do you spend time with her?"

"I make time. I work my schedule around her. Not only that, but I always make sure I'm the one who puts her to bed at night and gets her up in the morning." I tell her.

She nods, "What about when she gets older, what do you plan to do about schooling while you're traveling?"

"Home school." I answer.

She raises her eyebrows, "Okay, but if she is home schooled and is always traveling with you, how is she going to get any social interaction?"

"She is constantly around other people. Plus, I think the traveling is good for her. It broadens her horizons and introduces her to other cultures." I say.

"But what about having friends her age?"

"She goes to the park a lot so she plays with kids there, and she's going to start taking dance classes soon. Plus I have a lot of younger cousins that she'll see fairly often. She'll be around kids her age plenty." I respond.

She jots some stuff down, "Okay. One more concern I have is that I noticed not only are you two sharing a room, but also it's a rather small room. Are you planning to change that anytime soon?"

"Yes, actually." I reply, "My siblings and I plan to move into our own place really soon. Harmony and I will still share a room, but it'll be bigger and I'm going to set up a sort of divider system so she has her own space."

She nods, writing, "Okay. I think that about does it. I need to talk to Harmony next. Alone, if you don't mind."

I nod and stand, going back into the living room, "Harmony, come here please."

She runs over, "What?"

I knee down in front of her, "Casey has to talk to you alone now, but I'll be right here if you need me, okay?"

"Okay…" She says uncertainly.

I try to smile a little, "It'll only take a couple minutes, then we can go play."

She smiles back before hurrying off to the kitchen. I start to follow a moment later.

"Rocky, what are you doing?" Mom asks.

I stop, "Nothing…"

She narrows her eyes, "You better not be trying to eavesdrop. If she catches you doing that, you'll really hurt yourself."

I sigh, "I know. I just want to make sure she's not saying anything to freak Harmony out."

"I'm sure Harmony will tell you what Casey asks her." Dad says.

"Yeah, the girl can't keep a secret to save her life." Riker adds.

I sink down onto the couch between Ross and Rydel, "I can't wait for this whole mess to be over with."

"You should be nearing the end now, shouldn't you?" Ryland asks.

"Possibly. She still has to interview Alyssa's parents and, if she'll even go, record how Harmony interacts with them, plus there's still court, which I'm sure they will drag out."

"Do you know when your court date is yet?" Ross questions.

I shake my head, "No. It could be as soon as next week, or not for another three months. It just depends on when they can get the paperwork through."

Rydel squeezes my shoulder, "I'm sure it'll be over fast."

"I hope so." I reply, laying my head back.

A few minutes later, Harmony skips back into the room, Casey following behind. For the next hour, Casey alternates between asking my family members questions, and taking notes while watching Harmony and I playing in the floor. Afterwards, Casey closes her folder and stands.

"Okay, well, that part is complete. Now, I'd like to go ahead and record how she interacts with the other grandparents, get that done." She kneels down, "Harmony, do you want to come with me for a little bit?"

Harmony's eyes widen, "No!"

"Are you sure? We're going to go see your other grandparents." Casey tries.

Harmony shakes her head, holding onto my leg, "No! I want to stay with daddy!"

Anger bubbles inside me as Casey tries to pull Harmony away, "It's only for a little bit."

Tears start running down Harmony's face as she clutches my leg tighter, screaming and crying so hard she can barely breathe, "N-no! I don't wanna g-go!"

I pick her up, pulling her away from Casey, "If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't go."

Casey straightens, "She doesn't have a choice." She reaches for Harmony again, causing her to cling to me even tighter, her little nails digging into my shoulder as she cries harder.

I step back so Casey can't reach her, "Yes she does. I'm not forcing her to go somewhere she doesn't want to go."

"Then I'll have to get a court order, which will drag this out even longer, and could hurt your case." Casey threatens.

"I don't care. You find a way to do this that makes Harmony comfortable or it doesn't happen." I retort.

"Fine." She snaps. She glances around at all of us before turning on her heel and leaving.

I hug Harmony close, kissing the top of her head, "Shh, calm down, it's okay."

"I don't wanna go with her!" Harmony sobs.

I rub her back, "And you won't have to, I promise."

She hides her face in my shoulder, still crying. Mom stands and walks over.

"Poor thing." Mom says, smoothing Harmony's hair.

"That should've been enough to traumatize her." Dad quips, obviously agitated.

"I can't believe she was still going to try and take her even after seeing how upset she was." Riker adds.

Ross nods, "Yeah, so much for her 'helping' kids."

"Maybe it'll show her how close Harmony is to you, and how much it word hurt her to take her away." Ryland suggests.

"That's if she includes all the details in her report. She could easily make me look like the bad guy." I point out.

"She could, but then she'd be forgetting that you have six witnesses to what really happened." Riker counters.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." I say, shifting Harmony as I sit down. She's still clinging tightly to me but isn't crying anymore.

Rydel, who I hadn't even seen leave the room, appears then, walking over and offering Harmony a cup, "How bout some chocolate milk? It might make you feel a little better."

Harmony lifts her head long enough to take the princess cup from Rydel then curls back up against me. I look at Rydel, raising my eyebrows.

"What? Chocolate makes everything better." She says.

I smile a little, glancing down at Harmony, who is eagerly draining the cup. She looks back up at me, her big, green eyes still wet with tears, and gives me a small smile.

I kiss the top of her head then look at Rydel, "Guess you know something I don't."

Rydel shrugs, "It worked the other day, I thought it might work again."

"Daddy? Why did she want me to see my other grandma and grandpa?" Harmony asks quietly.

I scramble for an answer, not sure what to say without upsetting her. Thankfully, mom comes to my rescue.

"Because she needed to talk to them, and thought you needed to be there. Which you don't." Mom explains.

"Oh." Harmony replies.

I decide to quickly change the subject before she can ask anything else.

"Hey, you know what I was thinking we should do today?" I ask her.

Harmony looks up at me, "What?"

"Go get your Halloween costume." I respond.

Her face lights up, "Yeah, I wanna do that!"

"Do you know what you want to be yet?" Rydel asks.

"You could be Frankenstein with those stitches." Ross suggests.

Harmony rolls her eyes, "I don't want to be f-f-that. I wanna be a rockstar ballerina."

"That's an interesting choice." Dad comments.

I nod, "Yeah, are you sure don't want be one or the other?"

She shakes her head, "No, I want to be both."

"We'll make it work." Mom says.

"I hope by 'we' you mean 'you' because I don't have the first idea how to combine those two." I reply.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Mom responds, then looks at Harmony, "I won't let your daddy make you look goofy."

Harmony giggles, "Good. He's no good with clothes. Or hair."

"Hey!" I interject, "Cut me some slack, hair and clothes aren't exactly my area of expertise."

"Obviously." Harmony rolls her eyes.

"You're awful sassy for such a little girl." I say.

Harmony just grins.

A little while later, I am following mom and Harmony around Justice while they put together different things for her costume. It seems like forever before they have finally agreed on an orange tutu and matching leotard, black boots and a black leather jacket, and a glittery ribbon for her hair.

"All done?" I ask as Harmony skips up to me.

She nods, "Yep!"

"She has a little microphone and guitar she could carry, doesn't she?" Mom questions as she walks up.

"I'll probably have to look for them, but yeah." I answer.

"Good, then I think she's all set." Mom says.

"Okay. We need to look at shoes before we leave though, I noticed earlier that her's are getting a little tight." I reply.

"I don't want new shoes, I like these ones." Harmony whines, holding up her foot to show me her blue, worn out sneakers.

"I know, but they're getting too small. You need bigger ones." I tell her.

"I'm sure we can find something similar to those." Mom adds.

Harmony pouts but follows us over to the shoes. She grumbles the entire time so mom and I end up picking a pair for her; pink, light-up, high-tops with, of course, sparkles. As we leave the mall, we call home and arrange to meet everyone at a restaurant downtown for dinner. Harmony grins excitedly when she sees Ross has brought Laura. She also points out that they're holding hands, making both of them blush. We're just walking through the door when my phone rings.

"Go on inside with everybody, I'll be there in a minute." I tell Harmony as I take the phone out of my pocket. She looks at me a little nervously but allows Rydel to take her hand and lead her inside.

I put the phone to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Rocky Lynch?" A voice asks.

"Yes it is. Who's this?" I reply.

"This is Jacob. I believe we spoke a few weeks ago? I'm from children services." He answers.

My stomach knots, "What can I do for you?"

"I was informed of a disagreement between you and Casey earlier today and I am calling to propose a solution." He responds.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding; relieved I'm not in trouble. Not yet, anyway.

"Okay…" I say.

"If you, and Harmony of course, are willing, we would like to meet in our Bakersfield office tomorrow morning to allow Casey to finish her report. You won't be allowed in the room, but you can sit right outside." He explains, "Would that be possible?"

"Yeah, I think that would be okay. What time?" I ask.

"Would ten work for you?"

"Sure."

"Great. We'll see you then."

"See you then." I reply, hanging up.

I slip the phone back in my pocket and go inside to join everyone else. Harmony grins when she sees me, and I can't help but smile back as I take a seat next to her.

"What was that all about?" Dad asks.

"It was a social worker. Harmony and I have an appointment in Bakersfield tomorrow so Casey can finish her report." I answer.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mom frowns.

"It's going to be in the children services office, and I'm going to be sitting right outside the door." I reply.

"You don't think they'll try anything or do something to upset her?" Rydel questions.

"Nah. They'll have to be on their best behavior there." I say.

"But what about the social worker? Are you sure Harmony won't flip out when she sees her?" Riker asks.

"She flips out, we leave." I reply simply.

They all look at me skeptically but no one presses it.

Harmony looks between Ross and Laura, frowning.

Ross raised an eyebrow at her, "What?"

"Are you and Laura on a date?" Harmony asks.

Laura blushes as Ross scrambles for an answer.

I jump in, "That's none of your business, Harmony."

She looks at me, "Why not?"

"Because it isn't." I say, putting her crayons in front of her, "Now here, color a picture."

She huffs but takes the crayons and starts coloring. Ross lets out a breath, probably relieved that she didn't bring up his and Laura's kiss in front of mom and dad.

We have dinner then decide to go to the movies. We have to see some G-rated cartoon for Harmony, which, thankfully, turns out not to be so bad. It's late by the time we get home, and Harmony is worn out. I know she'll be difficult to wake up in the morning, but decide after this morning, she deserved to stay out and have a little fun.

The next morning, I am the first one up. I get a shower and get dressed before packing some toys in a backpack, letting Harmony sleep as long as I can. Ross has to be on set and mom, dad and Ryland are going with him, but Riker, Rydel and Ratliff are riding to Bakersfield with us. I wait until they are all up before getting Harmony ready.

We get breakfast through the drive-thru, wanting to get on the road as soon as possible. It's a long drive, and Harmony sleeps most of the way. I don't know how though, considering the rest of us don't stop talking the entire time. We wake her up right before pulling into the parking lot. She's okay at first, but starts getting nervous as soon as I park the car. Riker and Ratliff have her briefly distracted by swinging her between them as we walk across the parking lot, but as soon as we are in the door, her arms are around my legs.

I look around, trying to figure out where we're supposed to go, when Casey steps out of a room off to the side. She doesn't say anything, just gesture for Harmony to come inside.

I kneel down, prying Harmony off of me, "Listen baby girl, you have to go in there and talk to Casey and your other grandparents for a little bit, but I'll be right out here the whole time if you need me, okay?"

Harmony looks at me, eyes wide with fear, "I don't want to!"

I sigh, "I know, but you have to. Just for a little bit. It'll be okay. I'll be right outside the door, and so will uncle Riker, uncle Ratliff, and aunt Rydel."

"Hey, look at it this way. The sooner you get this over with, the sooner we can go do something fun." Ratliff tries.

"Can I come back out if I don't like it?" She asks.

"Of course." I answer.

"Okay…" She replies.

I kiss her forehead before she slowly makes her way over into the room. She gives me one last look over her shoulder before going inside, the door swinging shut behind her.

"She'll be okay." Riker assures.

I straighten, "I hope so."

We sit in the chairs outside the door, chatting back and forth while keeping our eyes on the door. I assume it must not be going too bad because she has made it almost thirty minutes. I'm just starting to relax, thinking she may be okay after all, when there is suddenly a bunch of commotion inside the room. All of our heads snap toward the door. It swings open and I am instantly on my feet. Alyssa's dad rushes out.

"Someone call 911! Something's wrong with Harmony!" He exclaims.

I shove past him into the room, heart racing, flooded with panic.

**Uh oh, what's wrong with Harmony? Will she be okay? Stay tuned to find out! Next chapter coming soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I tried to get this chapter up as soon as I could, so I didn't leave you guys hanging too long. Hope you like it! Don't forget to review/favorite/follow!**

Rocky POV

I shove past him into the room, heart racing, flooded with panic. My breath catches when I see Harmony. She is crumpled on the floor, gasping for breath, and her lips tinted blue with little red splotches around them. I already know what has happened before I even hit my knees next to her.

I look at Caroline, Alyssa's mother, "What did you give her?"

"She said she was hungry, so I gave her some candy, and she started gasping." She says meekly.

"What candy?" I demand.

She holds up the wrapper. Bit O' Honey. I look over my shoulder at the doorway where Riker, Ratliff and Rydel are standing, their faces all full of worry.

"Get me her backpack. Fast." I order.

Riker nods and disappears.

I brush Harmony's hair out of her face, "It's going to be okay, baby girl. Daddy's here, I'm going to make it better."

She looks up at me, fear in her eyes, as her little hands clutch her throat, gasping for breath. Riker reappears then, carrying the little pink backpack. I grab it from him and spill the contents on the floor, scanning the pile till my eyes land on what I'm looking for.

"Hold onto her, make sure she doesn't squirm." I tell Riker as I prepare the epi-pen.

He nods and gets to his knees next to Harmony, gently holding onto her.

I look at Harmony, "This is going to hurt for a second, and then it'll be all better."

I take a deep breath, preparing myself. I hate having to do this, but I know I have no choice. I jab the pen into her leg, injecting the medicine. I toss the pen aside and pull her into my lap. It isn't long before she is starting to breathe better. She clings to me, tears running down her face, trembling with fear.

"Shh, it's going to be alright. You're okay now." I soothe.

"What happened?" Rydel asks, slowly walking over.

"She had an allergic reaction." I reply.

The paramedics rush in then. I allow them to put Harmony on the stretcher, but don't release her hand the entire time. They stick an oxygen mask on her and start wheeling her out.

I use my free hand to take my keys out of my pocket and toss them to Riker.

"We'll meet you at the hospital." He calls as he catches them.

The questions start as soon as we are out the door. 'What did she have a reaction to?' Has she had one before?' 'Did you administer an epi-pen?' I answer them all without really thinking, too focused on Harmony. I know she'll be okay as soon as she gets to the hospital, but that doesn't stop the worry. During the ride to the hospital my mind flashes back to when we found out about Harmony's allergy.

_I sat on the couch at Alyssa's parents house, bouncing an 11-month-old Harmony on my knee. She's giggling happily, clapping her hands. Alyssa comes in and sits next to me, a plate of apple slices covered in honey in her hand. As soon as she sees the plate, Harmony starts squealing and reaching for it._

"_Someone is hungry." I laugh._

"_You want some apple, sweetie?" Alyssa asks her._

_Harmony reaches for the plate again in response. Alyssa laughs and holds a slice up to her mouth. She doesn't bite it but licks the honey off. She starts bouncing, reaching for the plate again._

"_You don't even want the apple, you just like the honey." Alyssa says._

_I expect Harmony to squeal or clap again but something has changed. She's wheezing, and her lips are turning blue, red splotches surrounding them._

"_What's wrong with her?!" Alyssa exclaims._

"_I don't know!" I respond, panicked. _

_Alyssa jumps up, the plate of apples scattering on the floor, "I'm taking her to the hospital."_

_I stand, cradling Harmony, as Alyssa runs around, frantically looking for her keys. I pull mine out of my pocket._

"_Take Harmony, I'll drive." I say._

_She nods, taking Harmony from me. We rush out the door to my car. She climbs in the back with Harmony as I get in the driver's seat. I'm pushing 90 the whole way, weaving in and out of traffic. _

_Harmony is taken back immediately and Alyssa and I are told to wait outside. Alyssa sinks into a chair, head in her hands, crying. I run a hand through my hair, stopping my anxious pacing and sitting next to her. I hesitantly put my arms around her. _

_She leans into me, her face hidden in my shoulder as she cries. I gently rub her back._

"_She's going to be okay. She has to be." I think I say this more for me than her. _

_Finally, after what seems like forever, a doctor appears._

"_For Harmony Lynch?" He says._

_Alyssa and I both jump up._

"_Right here." I reply. _

"_Is she okay?" Alyssa asks._

"_She's stable now, but we did have to sedate her, so she didn't pull out her IV. She had an allergic reaction to the honey you gave her. We gave her some medication and have her on oxygen. We're going to keep her for a little bit longer, just to watch her, and I'll write her a prescription for an epi-pen. Other than that, I expect her to make a full recovery." He explains._

"_Can we see her?" My voice comes out shaky. _

_He nods, "Of course." _

_He leads us down a hallway, stopping outside a small, curtained off cubicle. He pulls the curtain aside so we can enter. Alyssa clutches my hand as we step inside. Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw; our little Harmony, looking so small and fragile in that big bed. She has an IV in her arm, and is wearing an oxygen mask, sleeping. I have to blink away tears as we go to stand next to the bed._

"_This is all my fault." Alyssa says quietly._

"_No it's not. We didn't know. There was no way we could've." I try to assure her. _

"_I almost killed my baby." Tears are running down her face again._

_I take her hand, "No you didn't. It was an accident, and she's going to be okay. That's the important thing."_

_Harmony was released later that evening, Alyssa and I never once leaving her side. We picked up her epi-pen from the pharmacy on the way home, hoping we'd never have to use it. _

I'm pacing outside Harmony's room, waiting anxiously for the doctor to come out, to tell me she's okay. Riker, Rydel, and Ratliff come running down the hallway then.

"How is she?" Rydel asks.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her yet." I answer, "She seemed to be doing better in the ambulance."

"That's good, isn't it?" She questions next.

"I hope so." I reply.

"We called mom in the car, they're on their way." Riker says.

I nod, "Okay."

We stand around for what feels like hours before the doctor finally comes out.

"She's stable and resting. We've got her oxygen levels up and are treating her for anaphylaxis. We're going to keep her for a little bit, just to watch her, but I think she's going to be just fine." She explains.

I breathe a sigh of relief, "That's great. Thank you. Can I see her?"

She nods, "Go on in."

She steps aside as I go in, Riker, Rydel and Ratliff following. She almost looks like she's going to stop them, but then changes her mind, walking off. My breath catches and I hear my siblings and Ratliff gasp behind me when we see her.

Harmony is awake, but her eyes are droopy. She has an IV in her arm, a monitor clipped to her finger, and has tubes looped over her ears that are connected to little nubbins in her nose, giving her oxygen.

"Daddy!" She croaks when she sees me.

I blink back tears, putting on a smile as I go over and take her hand, "Hey baby girl, how are you feeling?"

"I don't like that candy anymore." She replies.

I can't help but laugh, "I bet you don't."

"I wanna go home." She says.

I squeeze her hand, "I know, but we've got to stay here just a little bit longer. But you do have some visitors. Aunt Rydel, uncle Ratliff, and uncle Riker are all here too."

She turns her head, smiling a little at them.

"Hey sweetie, I'm glad to see you're feeling better." Rydel smiles, walking over to stand next to me.

Riker and Ratliff go stand on the other side of the bed.

"Yeah, you gave us all quite a scare." Ratliff says.

"You're definitely a trooper though." Riker adds, then, looking over at me, "We're throwing away all the honey when we get home."

"For sure." Rydel agrees.

The door flies open then and Jim and Caroline are standing there.

"Is she okay?" Jim asks.

I'm flooded with anger when I see them, pointing at the door, "Get out. You have no business being here."

"She's our granddaughter. We have a right to see her." Caroline says.

I start towards them, "A right to see her? You almost killed her!"

"We didn't know she was allergic!" Caroline responds.

"Bullshit! You knew damn well she was allergic!" My hands are shaking now, "I want you to get out of here and stay the hell away from Harmony! Before I call security!"

"This isn't over. Once we have custody, it'll be you who has to stay away." Jim threatens.

I clench my fists, "You'll never get custody. Not in a million years."

"We'll see about that." Caroline snaps.

Jim points a finger at me, "She'd be better off with us and Matthew. He's a much better father than you could ever be."

That does it. My fist connects hard with Jim's jaw. He stumbles back, clutching his face. Riker and Ratliff are immediately between us.

"I think it's time you leave." Riker tells them.

Ratliff all but pushes them out the door before they can say anything more.

Riker puts a hand on my arm, "Maybe you should go get some air, calm down?"

I shake my head, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? That was pretty…intense." Ratliff says.

"Yeah." I reply, going back over to sit next to Harmony.

She looks up at me, fear in her eyes. I gently squeeze her hand, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"I'm sorry you had to see that sweetheart." I say softly.

"I don't like when you're mad. It's scary." Harmony almost whimpers.

"I know. No more, though. I promise." I assure her.

She smiles a little, "Good."

We spend the next hour or so coming up with things to keep Harmony entertained; reading books, letting her play games on our phones, and Ratliff even goes and gets her backpack out of the car so she has her toys. Shortly after that, Riker and Ratliff volunteer to go find her a snack when she starts complaining that she's hungry. I take this as a good sign that she is feeling better.

A few minutes after they leave, mom, dad, Ross and Ryland come through the door.

"What happened? Is she okay?" Mom asks breathlessly.

"She had an allergic reaction to honey but she's fine now." I answer.

Dad frowns, "She's allergic to honey? And you never told us?"

"I should've but I guess I never really thought about it." I reply, feeling suddenly guilty.

"Yes, you should've. An allergy, especially one this severe, is something you need to make very clear to anyone who is ever alone with her." He says, "Or it could get a lot worse than this."

Mom puts her hand on his arm, "Why don't we discuss this later. For right now, let's just be happy Harmony is okay."

Dad nods and they both go over to Harmony, Ross and Ryland following. Harmony starts recounting everything that happened for them. I tense up when she informs them of the incident with Alyssa's parents.

Mom whirls around to face me, "You _hit_ him?"

"You don't know the whole story yet." I defend.

"So tell me, then." She says.

I recount the story for them, making sure to include every detail.

"Well, if you ask me, I think the jackass got what he deserved." Ross says when I finish.

Ryland nods in agreement, "Definitely. He was way out of line."

Mom sighs, "While I don't agree with the violence, I will let it slide because he had no right to say what he did."

Riker and Ratliff walk back in then, loaded down with chips and candy, and a big, stuffed bear with a 'get well soon' balloon tied to it's wrist. Guess that explains what took them so long.

"What'd you do, empty the vending machine?" Rydel asks.

"We didn't know what to get so we got a little bit of everything." Ratliff shrugs, handing Harmony a bottle of grape soda.

"You got her grape soda? Seriously? I hope you plan to be the one to chase her when she's on a sugar buzz later." I say.

"We decided she deserved it after the day she's had." Riker replies, opening the bottle for her.

I shake my head, taking a bag of cheese crackers from him and opening them, offering some to Harmony before taking some for myself. Riker and Ratliff pass the rest of the snacks and drinks around.

Harmony is released a couple hours later, much to her delight. She doesn't waste any time getting ready when they say she can leave and practically drags me down the hall, refusing the wheelchair they offer her. She's wide awake the entire ride home after getting so much rest in the hospital. She even insists on going inside the pharmacy with me when I stop to pick up her new epi-pen, then cons me into buying her a pack of skittles on the way out, which I suspect was her real game all along.

We make it home and, true to his word, Riker raids the kitchen, disposing of every trace of honey. Harmony tries to help but he refuses, afraid even being near it will set her off. She settles for sitting in the kitchen doorway, watching him. She gets bored shortly after and starts begging to go swimming. I finally tell her she can if she convinces everyone else, which, of course, she does. I get her changed into a swimsuit and am blowing up her water wings when the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" Harmony calls, zipping back into the room and heading towards the door.

I start to get up, not wanting her to open the door to a stranger alone, when Ross comes running past. He almost knocks Harmony down trying to beat her to the door.

"Hey! Watch it, mister! There's a little person here!" She exclaims.

"Sorry, Harmony." He calls over his shoulder as he opens the door.

It suddenly makes sense when I see Laura walk in.

"Wow, you almost knocked Harmony down over a girl? You must have it bad." I tease.

Ross just glares at me.

"Laura!" Harmony squeals, running over to her.

Laura leans down to hug her, "Hey you, I heard you had an eventful day."

Harmony nods, "Uh-huh! I ate candy with poison in it, just like snow white at the poison apple, and daddy had to give me a shot and I had to go to the hospital!"

"You did not eat poison!" I interject, "You had an allergic reaction to honey."

"That sounds like it was pretty scary either way." Laura says.

"Just a little." Harmony admits, "But I was brave. Uncle Riker says I'm a trooper."

"I think I have to agree with him." Laura smiles.

Harmony smiles back, "Are you gonna go swimming with us?"

"If you want me to." Laura replies.

"Yeah!" Harmony nods.

I get Harmony's water wings and an inner tube and we meet everyone else out by the pool. I keep Harmony at the far end, throwing a mini beach ball back and forth, so she is out of the way of the diving board. Her eyes are glued on it, though.

"Daddy, when can I do that?" Harmony asks, watching Ross do a flip off the board.

"When you're a little bit bigger and know how to swim without floaties." I answer.

She pouts, "But I wanna do it now."

"You're not big enough yet." I reply.

"Can I jump off the side?" She tries.

I think for a second, "Okay."

She grins as I lift her up onto the edge of the pool. She takes a few steps back.

"What's she doing?" Ratliff asks.

"She wants to jump too." I tell him, holding my arms to catch Harmony, "Okay, go."

She hesitates for a second then runs and jumps. I catch her easily and she squeals with delight as everyone claps.

"You keep that up and you'll be jumping off the diving board in no time." Ryland says.

She grins, "Again! Again!"

She keeps this up until she is absolutely exhausted and I have to carry her inside. I give her a bath to get the chlorine off her then put her in her pajamas and she grabs her blanket and bunny and curls up on the couch. I try not to laugh when she nestles herself between Ross and Laura.

"No making out with my kid between you." I tease as I give Harmony her cup of juice.

Laura blushes and Ross gives me a dirty look. I laugh and go sit next to Ratliff on the other side of the room. We watch TV for a while but before we know it, the instruments are coming out and everyone is playing, singing, and laughing. Harmony gets a second wind and is up dancing around the room. After a little bit of this, she comes over and crawls into my lap, wedging between my guitar and me.

"I wanna play!" She says over the sound of the other instruments.

I smile down at her, "Okay. You strum, I'll do the chords."

She takes the pick from my hand and strums away. This goes on until late into the night. Harmony falls asleep in my lap, worn out after all the day's events. Everyone starts making their way to bed and I carry Harmony to her's. I come back into the living room to get my guitar to see Ratliff making himself comfortable on the couch and Ross walking Laura to the door. I can't help smiling a little when I see him lean in and kiss her, thinking no one is watching. If he's trying to hide their relationship, he's not very good at it, and eventually, he is going to have to own up to it.

I slip back to my room, smiling at Harmony curled up in her bed, hugging her bunny. I lean down and kiss her head before crawling into my own bed and falling asleep.

The next morning, Riker informs us over breakfast that he has received a call from the realtor and she has found another house- we have already looked at three- matching our criteria and price range and he has arranged for us to go check it out this afternoon. At the mention of this, mom abruptly gets up and starts clearing the table. She tries to play it off like it's nothing but we all know what it's really about. She's not exactly thrilled about us moving out. Dad follows her out, I assume to go talk to her.

Harmony frowns up at me, "Why are you looking at a house?"

"Because we're going to be moving soon." I say.

"Who?" She asks.

"Well, me and you, your uncles, and aunt Rydel." I answer.

"What about grandma and grandpa?"

"They're going to stay here, in this house." I explain.

She pokes her bottom lip out, "B-but…why can't they come too?"

I sigh, not really sure how to explain this to her.

Rydel jumps in, "Because we're all grown ups now and when you're a grown up you don't live with your parents anymore."

Harmony's eyes widen, "Does that mean I'll live by myself when I grow up?"

"Well, maybe, but that's not going to be for a really, really long time." I try to reassure her.

She doesn't say anything, but I can tell by the look on her face that this move is not going to be easy on her. I feel bad, thinking of all the changes she's had to go through recently, and almost wish we could put off the move for a little longer.

Harmony is unusually quiet while I get her ready for the day, and I don't have to ask her to know why. On the way to meet the realtor at the house, she barely says a word and doesn't even crack a smile. Something changes however, when we get to the house. She's suddenly excited, pulling me up the sidewalk.

By the time we are done touring the house, I'm starting to think she just might be okay with this.

"So, what did you think?" The realtor asks.

"I like it. What about you guys?" Riker replies.

We all nod, mumbling our agreements.

The realtor smiles, "Is it settled then? Should I make the offer?"

"Hang on, we don't make the final decision." Riker says, kneeling down in front of Harmony, "What do you think, Harmony? Do we want this place or should we keep looking? You get to make the final decision."

Harmony's face lights up at this, "This one!"

Riker high fives her then stands, "Alright, you heard the girl, this is the one."

"Great. I'll get the paperwork and make the offer and call you when I know." The realtor replies.

We all shake her hand before turning to leave. Harmony skips down the sidewalk, seemingly happy with herself. We stop on the way home for ice cream to celebrate. We've just sat down to eat when my phone buzzes. I take it out, surprised to see I have a text from Alexa.

_Dinner 2nite? _

I look between the phone and Harmony, not sure what to do.

**Whew, Harmony is okay. But did Rocky hurt his case by hitting Alyssa's dad? And how is Harmony, and Stormie, for that matter, going to handle the move? On a positive note, it looks like things are heating up between Ross and Laura, and maybe between Rocky and Alexa? Stay tuned for the next chapter! **


End file.
